Colonel Shailender Arya joined The Asia Group as a Senior Advisor in April 2025. He works closely with The Asia Group’s India Practice and Defense and National Security Practice to advise clients in defense, aerospace, and other strategic sectors.
Shailender is a renowned expert in India’s strategic priorities, defense industrial policies, and security and technology cooperation with partners. He brings a wealth of experience and insights into domestic and foreign policy and implications for business interests.
Before joining The Asia Group, Shailender served for over four years as Advisor, International Cooperation in India’s Ministry of Defense. He worked closely with senior leadership of the Ministry on a range of policy priorities, with a particular focus on India’s partnerships with countries in the Americas and Europe. Shailender was involved in, among other efforts, the India-U.S. initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), the recently announced Transforming the Relationship Utilizing Strategic Technology (TRUST) initiative, and roadmaps, strategic action plans, and other agreements for India’s defense industrial cooperation with the United States, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and other partners.
Prior to his deputation to the Ministry of Defense, Shailender served for over 20 years in the Indian Army’s Regiment of Artillery. His tenure in the military included commanding his regiment along India’s borders, teaching in the Defense Services Staff College – including a stint as guest faculty to the Staff College in Sri Lanka – and an overseas assignment as Staff Officer in the U.N. Mission in South Sudan. India’s President Droupadi Murmu awarded Shailender the Indian Armed Forces’ Vishist Seva (Distinguished Service) Medal in 2024.
Shailender earned a Masters in Philosophy in Defense and Strategic Studies from the University of Madras and a Masters in Management Studies from Osmania University. He has published numerous articles on geopolitics, defense, and strategy – and on Tibet and China – including with think tanks such as the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, the United Services Institution of India, and the Center for Land Warfare Studies.