Syllabus: GS3/Security
Context
- India’s national security landscape is evolving rapidly, with geopolitical tensions, border conflicts, and emerging cyber threats necessitating a comprehensive security doctrine.
| Recent Developments in National Security – Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting to review national security preparedness and inter-ministerial coordination. – Operation Sindoor was launched to counter terrorist threats and strengthen India’s defense posture. – Experts argue that India must frame a formal security doctrine to ensure long-term stability and deterrence. |
India’s National Security Framework
- National security is often perceived as the exclusive domain of the military and law enforcement agencies, but it encompasses politics, diplomacy, social stability, and economic resilience with military defense, cybersecurity, intelligence coordination, and counterterrorism efforts to ensure a nation’s long-term safety and sovereignty.
- Chanakya’s Mandala Theory famously states that an immediate neighbor is likely to be an adversary.
- However, it emphasized that a kingdom is only as secure as its farthest borders, meaning that strategic diplomacy and internal stability play an essential role in national security.
Key Aspects of India’s National Security
- Military and Border Security: India maintains a strong defense posture along its borders with China and Pakistan, ensuring territorial integrity.
- Recent operations, including Operation Sindoor, have reinforced India’s counterterrorism and military readiness.
- Cybersecurity and Digital Defense: India is investing in cyber defense infrastructure to counter cyber espionage and digital warfare.
- The government has launched AI-driven cybersecurity initiatives to protect critical infrastructure and financial systems.
- Intelligence and Counterterrorism: India continues to monitor and neutralize terrorist threats, ensuring national stability.
- India’s diplomatic efforts focus on strengthening global security partnerships.
Key National Security Doctrines Around World
- National Security Strategy (NSS) of United States: It outlines U.S. defense priorities, focusing on deterrence, counterterrorism, and cybersecurity.
- It emphasizes alliances with NATO, Indo-Pacific security, and technological superiority.
- Military Doctrine of the Russian Federation: Russia’s doctrine highlights nuclear deterrence, hybrid warfare, and regional security.
- It prioritizes defense against NATO expansion and cyber threats.
- Active Defense Strategy of China: It focuses on territorial integrity, military modernization, and cyber warfare. It integrates economic security with military expansion, particularly in the South China Sea.
- As Sun Tzu says in ‘The Art of War’, ‘To win 100 victories in 100 battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill’.
- China has not fought a single war since its conflict with Vietnam in 1979.
Why Does India Need a National Security Doctrine?
- Strategic Clarity and Preparedness: A national security doctrine would provide clear guidelines for responding to external threats, military conflicts, and cyber warfare.
- It would help align defense policies with India’s economic and diplomatic strategies.
- Deterrence Against Hostile Forces:India’s Nuclear Doctrine, established in 2003, emphasized a credible minimum deterrent.
- However, border tensions with China and Pakistan highlight the need for a broader security framework beyond nuclear deterrence.
- Strengthening Defense and Intelligence Coordination: A formal doctrine would enhance inter-agency coordination between the armed forces, intelligence agencies, and cybersecurity units.
- It would streamline decision-making processes during national security crises.
Key Elements of a National Security Doctrine
- Defining India’s Strategic Priorities: Identifying core security challenges and long-term defense objectives.
- Cybersecurity and Technological Warfare: Addressing digital threats, AI-driven warfare, and cyber espionage.
- Border Security and Counterterrorism: Strengthening military readiness and intelligence operations.
- Diplomatic and Economic Security: Integrating foreign policy and trade security measures into defense planning.
Conclusion
- India’s security challenges demand a structured national security doctrine that ensures strategic clarity, deterrence, and inter-agency coordination.
- By framing a comprehensive security policy, India can strengthen its defense posture and safeguard national interests in an increasingly complex global environment.
| Daily Mains Practice Question [Q] How can a comprehensive national security doctrine enhance India’s strategic preparedness, defense coordination, and geopolitical positioning, and what key challenges must be addressed to ensure its effective implementation? |
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