A National Security Strategy for India: The Way Forward

Philip Campose

This book enunciates a possible National Security Strategy for India, as part of a grand strategy, in which India aims at achieving its purported aspiration of becoming “a regional power by 2030” and a “major global power by 2050”. The book emphasizes that, other than ‘hard’ power to deal with external threats, the country needs to develop economically, and achieve its purported political and developmental goals and objectives.

Corresponding to the five national security objectives which need to be achieved, the enunciated strategy in this book, recommends in five parts, the ways and means to address internal security threats, including insurgency and terrorism, that India faces in the current and future perspective, as well as non-traditional threats, relating to energy and water shortages, pandemics, human security, and shortfalls in the criminal justice system. Significant focus needs to be laid on timely military modernization which would play an important role in India achieving its legitimate security and aspirational goals.

The author has contextually visualized the regional and global security environment as well as elucidated in detail, the threats and challenges that India faces, in the current and future perspective. Most importantly, the book helps understand the criticality and plausibility of India achieving its long-term national goals and objectives, amid all the opportunities that it is being presented with, provided that the strategy is acted upon, more-so in a timely manner.

Philip Campose

Lt Gen Philip Campose, PVSM, AVSM**, VSM retired in August 2015 as the Vice Chief of Army Staff, after an illustrious career spanning over four decades in the Indian Army. Commissioned into the 9th Gorkha Rifles of the Infantry in 1974, he was later transferred into the Mechanized Infantry in 1982. Gen Campose held important command, staff and instructional appointments across the length and breadth of the country during his career. These included Director General Perspective Planning at Army Headquarters and GOC-in-C of the Western Command. Post-retirement, he chaired the Ministry of Defence appointed tri-service committee on ‘Review of Security of Defence Establishments’ convened in the wake of the terror attack on Pathankot airbase in January 2016. Gen Campose writes extensively in professional journals. He is currently the Chief of Army Staff Chair of Excellence at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS).

Contents

Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction

1. India’s External Threats, Challenges, and Opportunities in a Future Strategic Context
2. Modernisation of the Indian Armed Forces
3. Role of Nuclear Deterrence
4. India’s Internal Security Challenges
5. Empowering the Indian Nation and its People
6. Towards a Leadership Role in Asia and the Indian Ocean Region
7. India’s Transition in Global Status from an ‘Emerging Power’ to a ‘Major Power’
8. A National Security Strategy for India

Annexure

India’s National Security Strategy: Ends, Ways and Means

Bibliography