USI JOURNAL
SHORT REVIEW OF A RECENT BOOK
“Sky is the Limit, Signals in Operation Pawan”, by Yashwant Deva, (New Delhi: Maj Gen Yashwant Deva, AVSM (Retd), Operation Pawan Veterans, 2007), 372P, Rs 990, ISBN 81-903719-0-8.
This book readily answers many a question agitating a seeking mind. Why are the Americans in trouble in Iraq? What makes terrorists and terrorism work? What if any, is the answer to suicide bombers? Who taught the Al Qaida, ULFA, Nuxalites and the LTTE how to go about their chosen tasks? And above all, “whither, indeed what state, the intelligence agencies and their smug ways in face of memetic and cyber terror tactics?” It also teaches you all that you need to know about asymmetric warfare.
Major General Yashwant Deva, AVSM, a reputed scholar, writer, defence and technology analyst has excelled himself in this master piece, which though burdened with many a technical detail reads like a symphony. He writes here all, that he did as Chief Signal Officer of Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka. He was awarded Ati Vishisht Seva Medal for engineering a wide ranging and integrated network of highly responsive communications to the IPKF over diverse media during Operation Pawan. His other written works include, Secure or Perish (2001), Dual Use Information Technology: An Indocentric Perspective (1997), and numerous edited compilations. According to blurb, the General is committed to a life long two pronged mission of “Reaching the other side of the Digital Divide” and “Taking Technology to the Trench”.
Through out the read, one is aware of strenuous research undertaken by the author over two decades. It’s title misleads one to feel the technological burden, the book is of immense interest to a lay reader, also. Where it is a text book of conceptualizing, planning, provisioning and securing of Signal Communications in a very hostile environment for higher Signals Commanders, it can well be a very useful study for candidates for various examinations in the Armed Forces. Interspersed with appropriate quotations and relevant maps, photographs and sketches the book holds readers’ interest from beginning to end. It’s a anecdotal style beautifully adds to that. It makes a major contribution towards crystallization of valuable lessons learnt in provision of state of art communications for their use by future generations.
Recommended for all formation and unit libraries and inclusion in syllabi of examinations in Armed Forces.
Major General Yatindra Pratap (Retd)