Dr Manpreet Sethi                                                       Distinguished Fellow

Dr Manpreet Sethi, Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Aerospace Power and Strategic Studies (CAPSS), New Delhi, has been leading the project on Nuclear Security at the Centre for the last 20 years. She is also Senior Research Advisor, Asia Pacific Leadership Network.

Manpreet is an expert on the entire spectrum of nuclear issues ranging from nuclear energy, strategy, non-proliferation, disarmament, arms control and ballistic missile defence. She has authored, edited and co-authored nine books and four monographs. She also has published about 130 papers in books/academic journals of repute. Her book Nuclear Strategy: India’s March towards Credible Deterrence (2009) is deemed essential reading at many colleges and armed forces institutions.

Manpreet received her Ph.D from the Centre for Latin American and West European Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi in 1997. Thereafter, she started her career at the Manohar Parikkar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi’s only national security think tank at the time. She worked there until 2002 and thereafter joined CAPSS. As a founder member, she helped craft the nuclear studies programme at the Centre, which is today at the forefront of national nuclear studies and analyses.

Dr Sethi lectures regularly at the National Defence College and other leading establishments of Indian Armed Forces, Police and Foreign Services, as also at various colleges and Universities. She has been conducting a bi-annual Nuclear Strategy Capsule for senior officers of the Armed Forces, Ministry of External Affairs, Department of Atomic Energy, Defence Research and Development Organisation and National Security Council Secretariat for the last 14 years. Over 1600 officers have benefitted from the exercise.

Sethi is a regular participant in flagship nuclear conferences across the world. She has also contributed to United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) on hypersonic missiles and nuclear risk reduction. She was Member of Prime Minister’s Informal Group on Disarmament in 2012, and member, Executive Board of the Indian Pugwash Society for a period of three years and also on Board of Directors of the Asia Pacific Leadership Network (APLN). She has participated in several Track II initiatives. She is currently on Board of Missile Dialogue Initiative of IISS, London and Co-chair, Women in Nuclear – India.

She is recipient of the prestigious K Subrahmanyam award in 2014, an honour conferred on a scholar for consistency and excellence in strategic and security studies.

In two rare honours for a civilian, on the occasion of the Air Force Day on 08 Oct 2020, she was commended by the Chief of the Air Staff for her dedication and professional ability and on 15 Aug 2022, she received commendation from the Commander-in-Chief of Strategic Forces Command.

As member of the International Group of Eminent Persons instituted by Prime Minister Kishida of Japan in 2022, she helped devise recommendations for the 2026 NPT Review Conference. She is on Science and Security Board of Bulletin of Atomic Scientists that annually sets the Doomsday Clock.

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Interview