R Chandrashekhar, erstwhile member of the AFHQ Civil Service, erstwhile Principal Director in the Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service, is presently Senior Fellow at the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies. Mr Chandrashekhar held crucial appointments culminating with that of Additional Dir Gen (Coord) in the AG’s Branch of IHQ of MOD (Army). Prior to that he had been posted as Dy Dir Gen Discipline and Vigilance and Deputy Military Secretary (X) besides having two extended tenures in the Chief of Army Staff Secretariat for a combined duration of 19 years, under nine Chief of Army Staff, which provided him a first-hand insight into the functioning of the Army Forces and the Ministry of Defence. His services have received recognition by award of the Chief of Army Staff Commendation on seven occasions and the GOC-in-C Western Command on one.

At CENJOWS, which he joined post retirement from service in 2013, his principal area of study is Civil Military Relations. The book ‘Rooks and Knights Civil Military Relations in India’, authored by him is regarded as a seminal work on the subject. He has also authored Monographs on Pakistan’s Defence Industrial Base, Balochistan, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and Tibet, besides several issue Briefs. (All CENJOWS Publications are available online and are downloadable from the CENJOWS Website and the CENJOWS App).

Shri R Chandrashekhar was appointed member of the recent Lt Gen Shekatkar Committee of Experts to recommend measures to enhance combat capability and rebalance defence expenditure for the Armed Forces.

Is a Consulting Editor with the well regarded bi-monthly South Asia Defence and Strategic Review and writes for Firstpost and other Journals.