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NATIONAL SECURITY
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What is the National Security Strategy?

▪ Understanding National Security Strategy:
o A National Security Strategy (NSS) is a comprehensive
document that lays out a country's security
objectives and the means to achieve them.
o The NSS is a dynamic document that undergoes
periodic updates to adapt to changing
circumstances and emerging challenges.
▪ Scope of National Security Strategy:
o It addresses a wide range of modern challenges and
threats. This includes not only outdated threats but
also newer, modern warfare issues that have
become increasingly significant in today's
interconnected world.
o It encompasses not only traditional threats, such as
military and defense-related issues, but also non-
traditional ones like financial and economic security,
food and energy security, information
warfare, vulnerabilities in critical information
infrastructure, supply chain disruptions, and
environmental challenges.
▪ Role of National Security Strategy in India:
o By providing a holistic view of India's national security
landscape and a roadmap to address aforementioned
challenges, the National Security Strategy will guide
critical defense and security reforms, making it an
essential tool in safeguarding the nation's interests.
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What is India’s Need for National Security Strategy?

▪ The Need for a National Security Strategy in India:
o A National Security Strategy for India has been a
recurring topic in military discussions.
However, despite various attempts, it has yet to be
formulated and implemented due to a lack of a
cohesive, whole-of-government effort, and the
government has deliberately not made its national
security objectives public.
▪ Urgency Amid Complex Threats and Geopolitical
Uncertainties:
o Given the multifaceted nature of emerging threats and
the increased uncertainties in global
geopolitics, there is a pressing need to develop a
national security strategy in India.
▪ Calls for Revising Existing Directives and the Role of
Military Reforms:
o Former Army Chief General has emphasized
the outdated nature of the current political direction
for the Armed Forces and the necessity of revising it.
• The only political direction for the Armed Forces
in existence is the Defence Minister’s operational
Directive of 2009.
o Experts have underscored that significant military
reforms like the theaterisation of armed
forces should stem from a comprehensive national
security strategy.
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• The absence of such a strategy has been likened

to attempting military reforms without a clear
roadmap.
▪ Countries Having National Security Strategy:
o Most developed countries with an advanced military
and security infrastructure have a National Security
Strategy in place, updated from time to time.
• The US, the UK and Russia have published
national security strategies.
o China also has such a strategy in place, called the
Comprehensive National Security, which is closely tied
to its governance structure.
o Pakistan, too, has brought out a National Security
Policy 2022-2026, underlining its national security
objectives and priority areas.
Way Forward
▪ Bringing Changes to the National Security Policy:
o Clarifying the Objectives: The National Security
Strategy in the 21st century shall define what assets
are required to be defended and the identity of
opponents who seek to overawe the people of a target
nation by unfamiliar moves to cause disorientation of
people.
o Setting Priorities: The national security priorities will
require new departments for supporting several
frontiers of innovation and technologies; hydrogen fuel
cells, desalination of seawater, thorium for nuclear
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technology, anti-computer viruses, and new

immunity-creating medicines.
o Changing the Strategy: The strategy required for the
new national security Strategy will be to anticipate the
enemies in many dimensions and by demonstrative
but limited pre-emptive strikes by developing a
strategy of deterrence of the enemy.
• For India, it will be China's cyber capability
factor which is the new threat for which it has to
devise a new strategy.
▪ Role of Policy Makers:
o The government should carve out a separate budget
for cybersecurity.
• Creating a central body of cyber warriors to
counter state-sponsored hackers.
o India’s talent base in software development should be
harnessed by providing career opportunities.
o Bootstrapping the cybersecurity capability
programme in states through central funding.
▪ Defense, Deterrence and Exploitation:
o These are the three main components of any national
strategy to combat threats:
• Critical information infrastructure must be
defended and individual ministries and private
companies must also put procedures in place to
honestly report breaches.
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• Deterrence in National Security is a hugely

complex issue. For Ex- Nuclear deterrence is
successful because there is clarity on the
capability of adversaries but national security
strategy lacks any such clarity.
• The preparation for a robust strategy will have to
start with the Indian military gathering
intelligence, evaluating targets and preparing
the specific tools for ensuring national security
in the long term.

Nuclear Deterrence
What is Nuclear Deterrence?
▪ Nuclear Deterrence is a military doctrine according to which
the possibility that a country will use the nuclear weapons it
possesses in retaliation will deter an enemy from attacking.
▪ This doctrine is based on the underlying philosophy that
Nuclear weapons are so destructive that no country would
use them, because such use would cause massive
humanitarian crisis and no political leader would be willing
to risk the possible death of millions of their citizens.
Advantages of Nuclear Deterrence
▪ Nuclear Weapons, As a deterrent to Global Conflict: The
threat of being overpowered or having mutually-assured
destruction is enough to prevent the world’s superpowers
from escalating a conflict to the point that a military
confrontation becomes necessary.
o Deterrence enthusiasts claim that nuclear
weapons do not just protect countries against use
of nuclear weapons by others, but even prevent
war and promote stability.
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▪ Enhances Bargaining Power of a Country: Nuclear weapons

gives a geo-strategic advantage to countries.
o For example North Korea has independently
developed this technology, giving it a seat at the
negotiation table with the USA.
▪ Increased Scope of Weapons Maneuverability: Nuclear
weapons can be launched from Land, Water and Air.
o This provides much flexibility to Nuclear weapons
as their conventional counterparts. This versatility
is a definite advantage when considering the
scope of deterrence doctrine.
Disadvantages of Nuclear Deterrence
▪ Doesn’t Stall Warfare at Small Scale: Nuclear weapons have
not been shown to prevent small scale/guerrilla warfare. As
there is always a possibility of escalation of conflict, the
chance of Nuclear Warfare can not be eliminated.
▪ Unequal Advantage: With the unequal distribution of nuclear
capabilities in today's world, certain nations are at an
immediate advantage over other countries.
o Since 1945, the United States, the Soviet
Union/Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China,
Israel, India, Pakistan, and North Korea have armed
themselves with nuclear weapons that have much
more destructive power in comparison to those
that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
▪ Not Applicable Against Non-State Actors: Nuclear
deterrence does not protect against nuclear terrorists, who
are not tied down by a specific nation.
▪ No Guarantee of World Peace: There is no assurance of
peace even both the conflicting countries may possess
nuclear weapons.
o The most famous of these cases is the 1962
Cuban Missile Crisis.
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New Challenges To Nuclear Deterrence Doctrine

▪ Emergence of the New Cold War: As the world has entered
into the phase of a new Cold War between US and China, the
chances of nuclear conflict has again resurfaced.
o Further, as nuclear capabilities grow and inter-
state trust diminishes, chances of stumbling into
nuclear war are high.
o Among the risks of nuclear use, there is a
likelihood is that of inadvertent escalation due to
miscalculation or misperceptions.
▪ Emergence of Rogue States: Rogue nation or state regarded
as breaking international law and posing a threat to the
security of other nations.
o Due to possession of Nuclear weapons with North
Korea, many countries perceive it as a rogue state.
o Also, countries with nuclear weapons may deploy
them through proxies or non-state actors.
▪ Chance of Limited Nuclear War: Limited nuclear war is
defined as war in which each side exercises restraint in the
use of nuclear weapons, employing only a limited number of
weapons on selected targets.
o Selected targets could include enemy forces,
command and control centers or particular sites
of strategic importance.
▪ Technological Advancement: Industrial revolution 4.0 has
blurred the lines between conventional and nuclear delivery.
For example:
o Advancing capabilities of cyberattacks on nuclear
command and control.
o Induction of hypersonic missiles capable of high
speed and manoeuvrability, has made it
impossible to intercept nuclear weapons once they
are launched.
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o Incorporation of artificial intelligence in nuclear

decision making are new developments that
threaten to create unknown risks.
Conclusion
Hiroshima and Nagasaki attacks have shown the scale of massive human
tragedy and long-term repercussions for food & water availability,
agricultural output, climate change, migration, etc.

In order to get nations to understand this, there is a need to compel nations

to rationalise their weapon requirements; force them to find ways of
reducing nuclear risks; and gradually pave the path towards elimination of
nuclear weapons. This could be most effectively done through use of
Creative media.