Former Indian Army chief General MM Naravane on December 29 joined a platoon of defence veterans and experts who called for the Indian government to formulate a national security strategy to provide clarity on the country’s external security threats and how the Centre aims to address them.
Experts say that a doctrine of this sort is essential for a country to provide clearer guidance to its military, step up military reforms and prevent ad hoc decisions by government departments dealing with national security.
In March 2021, the late General Bipin Rawat, who was then the chief of defence staff, had said that defining the national security strategy is a key step in preparing how to deal with external security challenges.
Former army chief General NC Vij has written that India’s defence forces need to be provided better directives. “The only political direction to the Armed Forces in existence is [the] Raksha Mantri’s Operational Directive of 2009,” Vij wrote. “It is now dated and hence needs to be revised.”
A former senior army officer and defence analyst, who did not want to be identified, concurred with this view, saying that technology has changed drastically since the 2009 directives and the guidance provided to the military leadership must keep up.
“The national security strategy is the starting…
