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Lt Gen D S Hooda (Retd)

Co-Founder

D S Hooda co-founded CSDR and directs projects of its defense and security verticals.

Lt. Gen. Hooda was commissioned into the 4th Battalion of the 4th Gorkha Rifles in 1976. He served initially in Nagaland during the peak of insurgency. As a Major General, Hooda was responsible for counter-insurgency operations in Manipur and South Assam. Between 2012 to 2016, he was stationed in Jammu and Kashmir and ultimately retired as the Army Commander of Northern Command in 2016. During this time, he effectively tackled numerous strategic challenges that emerged on the borders with Pakistan and China. Hooda is a recipient of several prestigious awards including the Vasishta Seva Medal, Ati Vasishta Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, and Param Vishisht Seva Medal for his distinguished military service. In 2019, he authored a comprehensive National Security Strategy document. Today, he is one of India’s foremost commentators on the country’s national security.

Areas of
Expertise

India's Defense Policy

Indian Military Reforms

Internal Security

Strategic Technologies & Warfare

FOUNDERS

Dr. Happymon Jacob

Founder & Director

Happymon Jacob is the founder and director of CSDR. He directs CSDR’s research and activities across divisions.

Dr. Gaurav Saini

Gaurav Saini is co-founder of CSDR and leads product design and partnerships.

Team

Hely Desai

Research Associate

Hely Desai is a nuclear policy expert and Research Fellow at CTBTO, focusing on South Asian nuclear policy. With an MPhil from Cambridge, she has worked at the Centre for Air Power Studies and India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

Radhey Shyam

Radhey manages the CSDR office and ensures it remains a welcoming and enabling environment for CSDR staff and guests.

Akanksha Baruah

Program Assistant

Akansha is a rProgram Assistant at CSDR.

Shashank Tiwari

Research Intern

Shashank is a research intern at CSDR, where he focuses on international security and defense. He holds a master’s degree in Politics (International & Area Studies) from Jamia Millia Islamia and a bachelor’s in Political Science from Mumbai University’s K.J. Somaiya College.

Araudra Singh

Research Intern

Araudra is a Research Intern at CSDR.

Keerthana Reddy

Research Intern

Keerthana, a BA (Hons.) student in International Relations and Economics, specializes in research, policy analysis, and strategic studies. At CSDR, she works under the Inclusive Foreign and Security Policy Program.

Experts

Ashok K. Kantha

Distinguished Fellow

Ashok K. Kantha is a distinguished diplomat who served as India’s Ambassador to China (2014-16) and Secretary (East) at the Ministry of External Affairs. With over 38 years of diplomatic experience specializing in India’s neighborhood relations, he was India’s lead negotiator for key agreements with China.

Dr. Iqbal Singh Sevea

Distinguished Fellow

Dr. Sevea is an Associate Professor and Director of the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) at the National University of Singapore (NUS). An internationally recognized scholar of contemporary and modern South Asia, his research focuses on South Asian politics and social and political thought.

Prof. Sumit Ganguly

Distinguished Fellow

Prof. Sumit Ganguly is a Senior Fellow and the Director of the Huntington Program on Strengthening the US-India Relationship at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is also the Rabindranath Tagore Chair in Indian Cultures and Civilizations Emeritus and Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Indiana University in Bloomington.

Ajay Bisaria

Ajay Bisaria is a distinguished diplomat, strategic consultant, and commentator on international affairs. With a career spanning 35 years in the Indian Foreign Service, he has played pivotal roles in shaping India’s key economic and security relationships.

Dr. Tishya Khillare

Dr. Tishya Khillare is a Fellow at CSDR. She leads CSDR’s work on Non-traditional Security issues in South Asia and the Indo Pacific, specifically on Climate Diplomacy, South-South and Triangular Cooperation, Feminist Foreign Policy, and Gender and Security.

Atul Chandra

Non-Resident Fellow

Atul is a Non-Resident Fellow at CSDR and supports our work on Aerospace and Defense industry.

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IDEAS INSPIRING CHANGE, GLOBAL IMPACT

Our programs encompass an array of critical topics, including climate security, emerging technologies, gender-sensitive foreign policy, non-traditional security, artificial intelligence, Defense and security, Geopolitics, Regionalism, Internet and society, among others.