Get Serious About Security

The Tribune     22nd October 2020     Save    

Context: A National Strategy on Security is a must for India to emerge stronger and more dynamic.

Issues with India’s security governance

  • Failure to understand multiple dimensions in National Security: involving domestic, external, military, economic and ecological drivers, leads to reactive decision making and suboptimal outcomes.
  • Governance systems are generally hierarchical and tubular.
  • Absence of systems of review and evaluation: leaves no scope of improvement and learning and leads to the formulation of security policies that lack longer-term perspective.
  • National security documents are not open to public debate: and remained within the confines of government.
  • Presence of illusion of discretionary power and independent agency: has thwarted our decision making and demonstrates our inability to resolve long-standing conflicts. 
    • For, E.g. the Kashmir conflict and the challenge of left-wing extremism.
  • Inability to identify our inadequacies and vulnerabilities: and blaming singular causes, mostly of external provenance. E.g.-  
    • Links between drug smuggling, corruption and lack of accountability.
    • Security gaps behind easy penetration of terrorist outfit into the defended and fortified border.

Way Forward

  • Identify simultaneous solution of inter-related factors: relating to contraband trade, drug smuggling and accountability in both our armed forces and civil services.
  • The integral link between domestic and external security: must be acknowledged explicitly and subjected to cross-domain approaches. 
  • Inter-disciplinary and cross-sectoral National security strategy: must be formulated and implemented.
  • Avoid future repetition of security loopholes: by formulating the post-attack report after careful review and investigation. 

Conclusion: Stronger National security strategy could better the chances of India emerging stronger and more dynamic in the post-pandemic era.