Making India’s National Security 21st Century Compatible

Source: This post is created based on the article “Making India’s National Security 21st Century Compatible”, Business Standard on 1^st June 2023.

Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 3 – Internal Security

Context: The article discusses the need for reform in India’s national security structures

National security structures worldwide, including India, are typically hierarchical, resistant to change, and only moderately accountable to the public. However, national security structures are needed to evolve with the changing global dynamics and rising multi-dimensional threats.

What are the factors that are necessitating the changes in security structure in India?

1) Multi-dimensional threats across land and maritime fronts from China, with Pakistan as a collusive proxy.

2) The need for full-spectrum security capability across multiple fronts and domains.

3) The urgent need to balance speedy indigenization of defense capability with the utilization of existing platforms and selective imports to ensure that capability gaps do not widen too much.

4) The blurring of lines between different instruments of statecraft necessitating a ‘whole of government approach’.

5) There is existing hesitancy in India to work with consultants from various disciplines due to ‘secrecy and security issues’.

6) Future conflicts will involve traditional warfare as well as new-age warfare waged in knowledge domains, social media, space, and cyberspace.

What should be done?

Traditional forms of planning, and execution should be used along with newer forms of cognitive thinking enabled by technologies like cloud computing, Internet of Military Things (IOMT), and AI.

A collaboration with outside experts from academia, industry, and the corporate sector, can be considered.