National Security Strategy

08.11.2023

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Why in the news?       

India is set to formulate its first National Security Strategy (NSS) after extensive discussions and deliberations within the military and strategic community, according to a report.

Important points:

• The National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) is working on a comprehensive strategy in consultation with various central ministries.
• Many countries, including the US, UK, Russia, China and Pakistan, already have their own national security strategies.
• India's NSS has not been defined since independence in 1947.
• Three previous attempts (2007, 2019 and 2021) have been made to bring a national security strategy.

What is National Security Strategy:

• It is a National Security Strategy (NSS) document outlining the country's security objectives and ways to achieve them.
• It defines traditional, non-traditional threats and opportunities and introduces accountability of agencies responsible for the implementation of such responsibilities.
• No clear information is known about the strategy being prepared right now.
  • Nevertheless, this will likely include the full range of new challenges and modern threats facing India, including non-traditional challenges such as financial and economic security, food and energy security, and information warfare.

Importance :

•  The strategy will cover the full range of traditional and non-traditional threats facing India, such as financial, energy, information and environmental security.
• It will serve as a guide for military and defense reforms and enhance overall national security.
• The NSS will reflect India's response to the growing geopolitical tensions and uncertainties in the world.
• The document will be made public and updated regularly based on the evolving situation and new threat assessments.

India needs a national security strategy:

• Resource Utilization: The strategy will help in optimum utilization of India's vast national strength and resources.
• Addressing shortcomings: India's border is heavily involved in smuggling and contraband trade, providing easy access to terrorists and criminals.
• Technology: The NSS will be able to identify critical infrastructure that may be vulnerable to cyber attacks, and enable the development of human resources capable of identifying attacks and protecting and restoring critical systems.
• Nuclear Security: The country's nuclear deterrent will have to deal with the challenge from two nuclear-armed neighbours, namely China and Pakistan.
• Dynamic Nature: The only political direction for the armed forces in existence is the Defense Minister's 2009 Operational Directive which is outdated and needs to be revised.
• Jointness: Jointness is a term that was coined by the US Army and is defined as "the integration of the forces of at least two branches of the military in a coordinated effort to achieve a common goal."
• India should have a national defense doctrine to achieve synergy, coordination and jointness among the three services and enhance their combat effectiveness and operational readiness.

Essential components in NSS:

• Climate change: NSS should anticipate the consequences of ecological degradation such as melting of glaciers, sea level rise, large-scale migration of population and prepare measures to cope.
• Internal security: The strategy should address internal security threats such as inequality, erosion of institutions, anarchy and centre-state relations.
• External Security: Under this, emphasis should be laid on the need to restore deterrence against India's adversaries, especially China, and to pursue the goal of transforming India into a modern, prosperous and secure country.
• Strategic communication: NSS should be integrated with strategic communication, especially in a democracy, to shape public perceptions through sustained and persistent public outreach and provide a channel for public opinion or feedback.

Countries with current national security strategy:

• Currently most developed countries with advanced military and security infrastructure have a national security strategy in place, which is updated from time to time.
• The US, UK and Russia have published national security strategies.
• China also has a strategy, called comprehensive national security, which is closely linked to its governance structure.

Pakistan has also come out with a National Security Policy 2022-2026 outlining its national security objectives and priority areas.