By: Samarth Pathak/Aspen Institute India
New Delhi, October 21, 2013: Underscoring the vulnerabilities in the existing national security paradigm, Indian defence analysts strongly advocated the need of formulating a well-defined strategic policy framework while addressing an Aspen Institute India (AII) session in New Delhi today. Themed “Towards a Resilient National Security Policy,” the discussion featured Former Chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Mr. K.C. Verma, Indian author and former diplomat, G Parthasarathy, Former Commander–in–Chief of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Naval Command, Admiral Premvir Das, and Indian journalist and author, Mr. Manoj Joshi.
At present, India faces a multitude of traditional as well as non-traditional security challenges that are exacerbated due to the perceived dearth of strong institutionalised mechanisms for streamlining national security needs. Further complicating the problem is the emergence of multiple international sources of threats, which are often intertwined and interdependent in today’s globalised world. A common view emerging from the deliberations was that the country could find it difficult to streamline the security strategy and address the systemic lacunae in the absence of a clear and comprehensive policy.
Encapsulating the trends observed in India’s military history, Former Commander–in–Chief of Indian Navy’s Eastern Naval Command, Admiral Premvir Das, said, “A strong policy doctrine requires consistent reassessments and transformations based on the prevailing trends. Our own policies have witnessed course-corrections, revisions and re-examinations through the decades. I feel that the time has now come to articulate a national security policy in the global domain. However, this re-examination of policy can be carried out only through strong institutions. Security is a complex business, and cannot be conducted in an un-institutional manner.”
Voicing support for a national policy on security, Indian Journalist and Author Mr. Manoj Joshi emphasised, “An effective national security doctrine must reflect India’s core interests. A framework of this nature should also be publicly articulated to reassure citizens as well as to warn adversaries. India is a nuclear weapon state, and her adversaries also possess similar weapons. The threat of nuclear weaponry requires the country to understand with great clarity the imperatives of power and how it must be used. Further, in times of crises, there may be little time for deliberations. A doctrine enables us to respond effectively by bringing the entire government on the same page. More importantly, a doctrine addresses competing claims for resources, which we see so often in the dynamics of international politics.”
Echoing similar views, Former Chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Mr. K.C. Verma asserted, “India needs a national security doctrine. This doctrine on national security must be a declaratory statement of intent that should be put out in the public domain. It also needs to be coherent, consistent and be borne out of the consensus of the political parties. We cannot have a doctrine that undergoes a change every five years.”
Identifying economic growth as a driver of security, Author and former diplomat, G Parthasarathy, opined, “In 60 years, we have not been able to become self-reliant in defence equipment manufacturing, largely because we do not have an industrial base. By 2022, Indian import of communication equipment may surpass the import of oil, according to an estimate. Security means keeping the internal and external climate of a country in a way that keeps all the citizens safe. To enhance national security, economic growth is vitally important with strong industrialisation. ”
Analysts also underscored the fact that sensitive issues such as water and energy access, human rights, social unrest due to underdevelopment and climate change need to be re-examined through the prism of national defence and security capabilities. The emergence of cyber-space as the new domain of warfare has further expanded the defence discourse. To counter these challenges, there is a tangible need to step up human resources and security infrastructure, upgrade India’s technological capacity, and identify the core strengthens and weaknesses in the existing strategic defence framework.