# Apurba Kumar Bardalai

Apurba Kumar Bardalai (born 4 April 1956), is a retired Major General from the Indian Army. He holds a PhD from Tilburg University, where he is a Member of the Department of Organisation Studies. He is also a Distinguished Fellow at the United Service Institution of India, New Delhi.

## Career

Having completed his training at the National Defence Academy and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, Apurba Kumar Bardalai was commissioned into the 15th Battalion, the Rajput Regiment on 11 June 1977. Apurba Kumar Bardalai has served on foreign assignments including as Deputy Head of the Mission & Deputy Force Commander at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and as the Commandant of the Indian Military Training Team at Bhutan.

## Dates of rank

| Rank | Component | Date of rank |
| Second Lieutenant | Indian Army | 11 June 1977 |
| Lieutenant | Indian Army | 11 June 1979 |
| Captain | Indian Army | 11 June 1980 |
| Major | Indian Army | 11 June 1988 |
| Lieutenant-Colonel | Indian Army | 1 April 1995 |
| Colonel | Indian Army | 23 May 1996 |
| Brigadier | Indian Army | 8 December 2005 |
| Major General | Indian Army | 1 May 2010 |

## Writing

Specialising in United Nations peacekeeping, Defence and Security, Apurba Kumar Bardalai has published one book, a PhD Thesis and several Journal Articles and other academic research material in his field.
In addition to his published works, he has delivered several lectures and public speeches on his subject of expertise, at various institutions.
| Year | Title of Work | Book / Publisher / Organisation | Type |
| 2006 | Changing Security Scenario: Implications for UN Peacekeeping | Knowledge World (for United Service Institution of India) | Book |
| 2023 | Keeping the Peace: UN Peace Operations and their Effectiveness: An Assessment | Pentagon Press | Book |
| 2021 | United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon: Assessment and Way Forward | Tilburg University | Doctoral Thesis |
| 2018 | UN Peacekeeping Operations: Perspective of an Indian Peacekeeper. | Aoun, E., P.I.E. Peter Lang. | Book Chapter |
| 2023 | Ecology and Boundary: Mapping Overlapping Terrain. | External Dimensions of Security of the North East Region, ed. Temjenmeren Ao | Book Chapter |
| 2024 | On the Geoeconomics Drivers of International Conflicts | Global Political Economy, Geopolitics and International Security: The World in Permacrisis, edited by O. Mishra and S. Sen | Book Chapter |
| 2015 | India and Humanitarian Assistance in Post Conflict Peace Building. | Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), New Delhi | Issue Brief |
| 2016 | UNIFIL: The many challenges of successful peacekeeping, Journal of Defence Studies, 2016. | The Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) | Journal Article |
| 2018 | UNPKO and Military Contributions: Challenges and Opportunities for Asia-Pacific Governments. | United Service Institution of India | Journal Article |
| 2018 | United Nations Peacekeeping Operations: Causes for Failure and Continuing Relevance. | Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) | Journal Article |
| 2018 | Doklam and the Indo-China Boundary, Journal of Defence Studies. | Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) | Journal Article |
| 2019 | A Conceptual Framework for Assessing Traditional Peace Operations. | Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) | Journal Article |
| 2021 | Challenges to UN Peacebuilding. | United Service Institution of India | Journal Article |
| 2022 | UN Peacekeeping and Ambiguity in Normative UN Norms. | The Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) | Journal Article |
| 2022 | Ukraine Conflict: Is UN peacekeeping an option? | Hesperus Research & Development Organization (HRDO) | Journal Article |
| 2023 | Traditional UN Peace Operation: Preventive Deployment for Conflict Management | Institute for Conflict Management, New Delhi | Journal Article |
| 2023 | Private Military Contractors: The Dogs of War | Medals and Ribbons | Journal Article |
| 2023 | Capability Building of UN Peace Operations | United Service Institution of India | Journal Article |
| 2024 | Role of UN Peace Operations: An Actor of Stability in the Middle East | Indian Army - UN Journal 2024 | Journal Article |
| 2020 | Under the Blue Helmet. | States of Anarchy | Podcast Episode |
| 2024 | United Nations Truce Supervision Organization: Role, Relevance, Functions and Utility - Lessons for Future Peace Operations | Geneva Centre for Security Policy and Effectiveness of Peace Operations Network | Report |
| 2016 | Review of United Nations Peacekeeping Challenge: The Importance of the Integrated Approach. | Journal of Defence Studies, The Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) | Book Review |

## Honours and decorations

For his dedication to duty as the Commander of a Mountain Brigade, Apurba Kumar Bardalai was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal on Republic Day, 2008.
| Vishisht Seva Medal | Vishisht Seva Medal | Special Service Medal | Special Service Medal |
| Siachen Glacier Medal | Operation Parakram Medal | Sainya Seva Medal | High Altitude Service Medal |
| Videsh Seva Medal | 50th Anniversary of Independence Medal | 30 Years Long Service Medal | 20 Years Long Service Medal |
| 9 Years Long Service Medal | UNAVEM I Medal | UNAVEM II Medal | United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon Medal |