Incorrect and myopic to say India lacks national security strategy: CDS General Anil Chauhan

Lambasting the strategic analysts and political pundits who often state that India lacks national security strategy, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan in his book said, “That is incorrect and a myopic understanding of the issue.”

CDS/Rajnath Singh

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New Delhi: Lambasting at the strategic analysts and political pundits in India and abroad who often state that India lacks national security strategy, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan in his book said: “That is incorrect and a myopic understanding of the issue.”

General Chauhan’s book ‘Ready, Relevant and Resurgent: A Blueprint for the Transformation of India’s Military’, which was released by the defence minister Rajnath Singh in the national capital on Thursday, offered insights into the ongoing transformations in the Indian armed forces to meet the requirements of modern warfare.

“Strategic analysts and political pundits in India and abroad often have been found stating that India does not have a national security strategy. That is incorrect and a myopic understanding of the issue. What we don’t have is a written document called the NSS, which is published periodically by some Western nations,” the CDS wrote in his book.

He also elaborated that the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories would not have been possible without having the elements ‘Policy, Processes and Organisational Structures’. They constitute the National Security Strategy (NSS).

He stated that India doesn’t have a written NSS but it’s “incorrect” to say that India doesn’t have one.

“Israel, the most threatened nation on earth, does not have a written policy document or national security strategy,” his book mentioned while stating that on the contrary, Pakistan issued a written National Security Policy in 2022 and soon ran into economic problems, political instability, rift between the armed forces and the citizens and problems on its western borders.

“They had the written document but lacked the organisational structures, processes and policies to secure the nation,” he remarked.

It must be noted that in 2018, India set up a high-level Defence Planning Committee (DPC), chaired by the National Security Advisor (NSA), to formulate a NSS and a National Defence Strategy (NDS). But there has been no update on the progress.

In the past former Army Chief Gen Manoj M. Naravane had said that it was essential to have a NSS, NDS and a higher defence organisation in place and “only then we can think of integrated theatre commands.”

Gen Chauhan also stated no nation can secure itself without a strategy in place. “The important constituents of a strategy would be Policy, Processes and Organisational Structures.”

Today, surgical strikes, multi-alignment, and Atmanirbharta are part of a strategy to secure the nation, he elaborated.

“The resounding success of G-20 in the same manner promotes national interests, contributing to national security.”