In 1979, a military officer, Late Captain Bharat Verma, decided to create the first dedicated military publishing house called Lancer, with the aim to encourage Indian Military officers to contribute military literature from an Indian viewpoint. Lancer pioneered this movement in the private sector and created enormous Indian military literature post-independence for the first time. This further resulted in Lancer creating a journal Indian Defence Review in 1986 to provide an independent and in-depth discussion on strategic affairs affecting Indian security.
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INDIAN DEFENCE REVIEW
The Indian Defence Review (IDR) is highly recommended reading for commissioned officers of the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, and is widely acknowledged as the nation’s foremost defence publication. Distinguished by its sober, analytical, and methodologically balanced approach, the IDR has earned recognition as a premier strategic affairs journal and an influential policy-oriented think tank in the domains of national security and defence. It has been cited as “India’s best-known military publication” and described as “the most impressive, useful, and independent publication” in its field.
As the only Indian military journal available in commercial bookstores worldwide, the IDR commands a unique position within both academic and professional circles. Its enduring relevance, expansive readership, and equitable pricing structure underscore its accessibility and influence. The journal consistently delivers rigorous, in-depth analyses across a broad spectrum of themes, including geopolitics, aerospace developments, maritime and naval strategy, defence modernization, and internal security. Repeatedly, the insights and evaluations published in the IDR have contributed meaningfully to shaping informed discourse and strategic decision-making across the Indian subcontinent.
