Synergy Required between Military And foreign ministry To Meet Security Challenge : Jaishankar
Dated : 14 Dec 2020 (IST)
India is now seriously looking at increasing synergy among its three defence services and also planning to created integrated HQ Theatres to take care of evolving security threats. Countries like the US and China already have an integrated defence management and theatre commands i.e. all three services working together under one commander.
As a first step in this direction, the government had created HQ IDS and as a next step appointed the first Chief of Defence Staff in December last year. In a historic move, a new department of Military Affairs too was created by reorganizing the Ministry of Defence. The CDS is also the Secretary of this Department.
Delivering the second Manohar Parikkar Memorial lecture via video link in New Delhi, the Foreign Minister spoke at length on better synergy between the Defence Forces and the Videsh Mantralya. Shri Jaishankar on Sunday made a strong case for synergy among various arms of government as well as the military to meet national security challenges, including unsettled borders and terrorism.
Though he cautioned against “halfway house solutions” to achieving synergy. He pointed out that the current challenges countries faced include the use of connectivity, trade, data, debt, tourism and education as “instruments of influence and sometimes even of coercion” – a reference to the use of such tactics recently by China against Australia. The minister pointed out that the defence and foreign ministries had increasingly worked in tandem over the years to build up India’s image as a net security provider, assisting countries facing disasters, evacuating stranded Indians and others from global hotspots or pushing against political or technological barriers to ensure the Indian military is equipped with the best defence capabilities.
He then said that “as India undertakes the next generation of reforms and embraces greater ‘Atmanirbharta’, the military cannot be left behind. It must do its own introspection and be prepared to meet effectively the new sets of challenges that we all can see coming our way. The importance of stronger integration in matters of national security can never be overstated.”
Though he warned that “ In India’s context the rise will evoke its own reactions and responses. There will be attempts to dilute our influence and limit our interests. Some of contestations can be directly in the security domain, others could be reflected in economics. The reality of limited wars and coercive diplomacy was very much alive. “
India had taken some steps toward ensuring coordination in national security strategy – appointing a National Security Advisor (NSA) and putting in place a secretariat to support the office of NSA. The CDS now must be strengthened with a VCDS to head the HQ IDS and a full time Lt General / equivalent as Secretary of DMA in MoD.
Also as a next step the post of Defence Secretary must be rotated between IAS and Indian Foreign Service Officer.
The Minister too has pointed out that current day national security challenges require specialization and integration, the “scale and intensity of challenges mandate that we go beyond half way house solutions.” This would, he said, also help answer the problem optimal resource utilisation.
