First Light Journal

First Light: Intelligence & Insights

This is where Thorsec publishes strategic thinking on leadership, execution, institutional design, and the human side of AI transformation.

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Attrition, alliances, American ambitions: Rethinking the Ukraine conflict and the quest for multipolarity
September 12, 2025 Geopolitics & Strategy

By Maj Gen Deepak Mehra

Attrition, alliances, American ambitions: Rethinking the Ukraine conflict and the quest for multipolarity

The Russia-Ukraine war is less a regional conflict than a U.S.-orchestrated prox...

schedule 9 min read Read
From Convoys to Combat Power: How GST 2.0 Transforms Indian Army Logistics
September 07, 2025 Leadership and Crisis Management

By Major General Deepak Mehra

From Convoys to Combat Power: How GST 2.0 Transforms Indian Army Logistics

GST 2.0 transforms Indian Army logistics, cutting costs on spares, drones, and batteries while...

schedule 5 min read Read
Igniting Innovation
August 14, 2025 Technology & Innovation

By Dr Sunandini & Akash P Desai

Igniting Innovation

From enabling financial inclusion through UPI to enhancing military capabilities with AI and...

schedule 4 min read Read
Institutional Reflexes in High-Change Environments
October 05, 2024 Geopolitics & Strategy

By Major General Deepak Mehra

Institutional Reflexes in High-Change Environments

The dispute surrounding Kuril Islands remains a Gordian knot of geopolitics...

schedule 8 min read Read
Vijay Diwas: Blood on the rocks, steel in the veins
July 27, 2025 Leadership and Crisis Management

By Maj Gen Deepak Mehra (Retd)

Vijay Diwas: Blood on the rocks, steel in the veins

Vijay Diwas, celebrated every year on 26 July, is more than a commemoration...

schedule 6 min read Read
Opinion | Simla Agreement: A Forgotten Peace Charter Amid Pakistan’s Selective Approach
July 26, 2025 Geopolitics & Strategy

By Dr. Sunandini

Opinion | Simla Agreement: A Forgotten Peace Charter Amid Pakistan’s Selective Approach

On July 2, 1972, in the aftermath of the Bangladesh Liberation War, India and Pakistan signed the Simla...

schedule 7 min read Read
Erasing the Dalai Lama: China’s cultural warfare and its geopolitical consequences
July 14, 2025 Geopolitics & Strategy

By Dr. Sunandini

Erasing the Dalai Lama: China’s cultural warfare and its geopolitical consequences

As the birthplace of Buddhism and a civilisational anchor for Asia, India has both the moral authority...

schedule 12 min read Read
OPERATION DESERT HAWK
July 14, 2025 Leadership and Crisis Management

By Maj Gen Deepak Mehra

OPERATION DESERT HAWK

The dominant narrative in the history of 1965 war, usually covers the operations...

schedule 10 min read Read
Safer, Smarter Skies
July 12, 2025 Technology & Innovation

By Col Nidhish Bhatnagar

Safer, Smarter Skies

The concept of the Digital Twin, blending real-time data with living, data-driven replicas...

schedule 5 min read Read
Debunking Myths Of Repression: Realities Of Freedom And Development In Modern J&K – Analysis
July 07, 2025 National Security & Internal Affairs

By Dr. Sunandini and Maj Gen Deepak Mehra

Debunking Myths Of Repression: Realities Of Freedom And Development In Modern J&K – Analysis

In the heart of the Himalayas, where the saffron fields meet snow-capped peaks, Jammu and Kashmir...

schedule 8 min read Read
Why India needs to recalibrate its foreign policy after decade of pro-US shift
July 06, 2025 Geopolitics & Strategy

By Sanjib Kr Baruah

Why India needs to recalibrate its foreign policy after decade of pro-US shift

India, like many other countries, is still trying to make sense of the mercurial US president, Donald Trump

schedule 9 min read Read
National Security Through Innovation and Research
July 05, 2025 Technology & Innovation

By Dr Sunandini & Akash P Desai

National Security Through Innovation and Research

India can become self-reliant and position itself as a global hub of strategic innovation...

schedule 6 min read Read
A March Remembered, A Future Redefined: One Month Since Women Cadets Passed Out from NDA
July 01, 2025 Leadership and Crisis Management

By Dr Sunandini

A March Remembered, A Future Redefined: One Month Since Women Cadets Passed Out from NDA

The passing-out of women NDA cadets in May 2025 begins a new era of gender inclusivity...

schedule 7 min read Read
Great Power Rivalry in the Arctic and India
June 12, 2025 Geopolitics & Strategy

By Maj Gen. Mehra, Kirti Chakra, AVSM, VSM

Great Power Rivalry in the Arctic and India

Arctic, home to almost four million people is warming three times faster than the global average...

schedule 15 min read Read
The New Face of War Is Cheap, Smart, and Already Among Us
June 07, 2025 Technology & Innovation

By Col Nidhish Bhatnagar

The New Face of War Is Cheap, Smart, and Already Among Us

Today’s war is fought in Wi-Fi zones, server farms, digital forums, and consumer devices...

schedule 5 min read Read
Operation Sindoor and Cyber Front: New Face of Warfare
May 20, 2025 Technology & Innovation

By Col Nidhish Bhatnagar

Operation Sindoor and Cyber Front: New Face of Warfare

India’s precision-led, intelligence-backed response in Operation Sindoor was not just a military strike...

schedule 5 min read Read
Operation Sindoor: In the Parting of Her Hair, A Nation Drew its Sword
May 07, 2025 Leadership and Crisis Management

By Dr Sunandini

Operation Sindoor: In the Parting of Her Hair, A Nation Drew its Sword

Executed with surgical precision, Operation Sindoor reflects that India’s warfare is no longer limited...

schedule 6 min read Read
How is the Josh? High Sir!
May 07, 2025 Leadership and Crisis Management

By Major General Deepak Mehra

How is the Josh? High Sir!

Operation Sindoor, a well-calibrated, swift, and lethal strike underscores India’s evolving security doctrine...

schedule 5 min read Read
Canal Crisis As Caution: Why India Must Prioritize Physical Security Assessments Of Critical Infrastructure
April 30, 2025 National Security & Internal Affairs

By Major General Deepak Mehra (Retd) and Dr. Sunandini

Canal Crisis As Caution: Why India Must Prioritize Physical Security Assessments Of Critical Infrastructure

The Panama Canal crisis highlights how geopolitical tensions can threaten vital infrastructure...

schedule 8 min read Read
Jammu & Kashmir: A Tryst with Beauty and Brutality
April 29, 2025 National Security & Internal Affairs

By Dr Sunandini

Jammu & Kashmir: A Tryst with Beauty and Brutality

From the tragedy of Pulwama to the carnage at Pahalgam, tracing the arc of terror...

schedule 9 min read Read
Gains and Gaps
January 08, 2025 Technology & Innovation

By Col Nidhish Bhatnagar

Gains and Gaps

For India, AI presents a unique opportunity to address complex development challenges...

schedule 6 min read Read
CHINA’S POLITICISED MILITARY LEADERSHIP RISKS BATTLEFIELD COLLAPSE
April 13, 2025 Geopolitics & Strategy

By Major General Deepak Mehra

CHINA’S POLITICISED MILITARY LEADERSHIP RISKS BATTLEFIELD COLLAPSE

This article delves into the structural weaknesses within China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA)...

schedule 8 min read Read
Russia Remains Resilient, Sanctions and Proxy Wars Won’t Work
March 21, 2025 Geopolitics & Strategy

By Pawan Atri

Russia Remains Resilient, Sanctions and Proxy Wars Won’t Work

After three years of conflict between Russia and Ukraine, stoked by the US and its NATO allies...

schedule 5 min read Read
Pakistan’s economic and security failures amplify nuclear risks
March 23, 2025 Geopolitics & Strategy

By Maj Gen Deepak Mehra

Pakistan’s economic and security failures amplify nuclear risks

Pakistan’s escalating economic instability and internal security failures are drawing global attention...

schedule 7 min read Read
Transition in Syria: A Review
March 05, 2025 Geopolitics & Strategy

By Major General Deepak Mehra

Transition in Syria: A Review

With the economy in dire straits and most of the infrastructure in ruins, Syria requires massive reconstruction...

schedule 6 min read Read
Iran-Russia Agreement: Defying Global Hegemony
January 29, 2025 Geopolitics & Strategy

By Major General Deepak Mehra

Iran-Russia Agreement: Defying Global Hegemony

Iran and Russia have signed a landmark strategic agreement, heralding a new chapter in their relationship...

schedule 8 min read Read
Syrian Turnaround Stumps Russia-Iran Tango and India
January 24, 2025 Geopolitics & Strategy

By Major General Deepak Mehra

Syrian Turnaround Stumps Russia-Iran Tango and India

The overthrow of the autocratic Al Assad dynasty in Syria will have severe implications...

schedule 6 min read Read

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