National Security Strategy: Bringing Together Diverse Aspects
STORIES, ANALYSES, EXPERT VIEWS
The demand for a national security strategy is again under public discussion, writes Tara Kartha (Director, Research and Analysis Centre for Land Warfare Studies - CLAWS) “as the neighbourhood gets into a flux, old enemies muscle up, and new friends are yet to commit themselves. India’s economic ambitions to be a $4 trillion economy, is also likely to also face strong headwinds as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza continue, dragging down global growth. The economy is really the key to everything else. After all, everyone wants a slice of the economic pie, from the Ministry of Health to the Ministry of Defence. That means prioritisation within rather scarce resources, and that is the key to national security strategy making.”
India therefore, “needs an NSS, that will bring together diverse aspects such as defence, finance, investments and climate change into one coherent whole, and then set a direction for the country.”
Multialignment replaces non-alignment
India abandoned the Non-Aligned movement, its once ‘core value’, for ‘multialignment’, “which means making friends with whoever is capable and willing to provide a possible back up in a crisis, and perhaps defence technology. Hence the Quad (Australia, India, Japan and the U.S.), which discusses security bilaterally even while the grouping backs the freedom of the seas. On the other hand is BRICS, a China-led economic grouping together with Brazil and Russia, because you are not quite sure of putting all your eggs in one western basket. Besides, India’s $85 billion trade deficit with Beijing rather complicates things, given its frequent forays into and claims of Indian territory. Imagine how all of this would be described in a public national security document. No amount of good English can hide the fact that we cannot defend against China on our own, or that we have so little to do it with. Neither can we talk glibly about ‘allies’ like the U.K. does. We do not believe in alliances.”
Allocation of tasks to each service and providing equipment
From threat prioritisation, Kartha believes “the next level is the allocation of tasks to each service and the equipment that it needs to fulfil its mandate. True, defence budgeting is a relatively transparent exercise. However, a ‘strategy’ will need to decide which equipment or service one has to lean towards, and where it falls short. For instance, if the ‘Indo-Pacific’ is part of a strategy, then a hard exercise has to be on how to quickly upgrade your submarine- and ship-building capabilities. India’s submarine strength is about a fourth of China’s, while the picture is even worse in ship-building. Neither is the lag in the commissioning of warships something that you would want to advertise….”
The trick is to integrate it all elements together
In sum, Kartha concludes “a national security document is an urgent need. It is not just about defence. Linked closely to it are priorities within the economy that will give a direction to industry, to financial institutions, and all the other tentacles that make up the lifeblood pulsing through the economy. That exercise is generally done piecemeal through various annual reports and surveys. The trick is to integrate it all together and set a direction for the country to reach where it wants to go, and fast. Therefore, the exercise is one best kept close to one’s chest, even as directives are issued separately to ministries and others. The National Security Council Secretariat is more than up to the task….”
