ABOUT THE BOOK

The scramble for natural resources is not a new phenomenon. Every state, either developed or developing, is always found busy `managing` resources for its sustenance and growth. Minerals (also called materials) is one crucial natural resource which plays a significant part in the development of both civilian and military industrial complexes of nation-states. There are a few minerals which are categorized as `strategic` because of their importance for the industries and owing to natural and man-made difficulties in their procurement. This work debates the issues of strategic materials and their importance for nation-states. There has been an attempt here to contextualize the importance of strategic materials from a national security perspective. This study presents a macro view with regard to India`s strategic minerals architecture and undertakes analysis to understand current and futuristic challenges and opportunities in this sector, and offers a few recommendations based on the assessment undertaken. Issues related to Rare Earth and New Materials are also discussed.

ABOUT Author

Ajey Lele : Gp Capt Ajey Lele is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi. His research interests include issues related to Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), Space Security and Strategic Technologies. Mr Parveen Bhardwaj is a Research Intern at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi. His research interests include Aerospace Technologies and Future Technologies.