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%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20Read%20%7C%3C/strong%3E%20%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/strategic-security-unease-of-2020-may-translate-into-a-flared-up-2021%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EStrategic%20security%3A%20Unease%20of%202020%20may%20translate%20into%20a%20flared-up%202021%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

The%20weakness%20of%20Information%20Warfare%20as%20an%20important%20tool%20of%20modern%20warfare%20and%20lack%20of%20situational%20awareness%20was%20yet%20again%20exposed.%20Thus%2C%20it%u2019s%20not%20just%20the%20lessons%20of%20the%20past%20which%20are%20important%2C%20but%20the%20ability%20to%20reflect%20from%20the%20past%2C%20accept%20the%20present%20and%20act%20for%20the%20future.%20A%20nation%20cannot%20afford%20to%20repeat%20the%20same%20mistakes%20ever%20again.

%3Cstrong%3E%3Cu%3EStrategic%20Security%20Focus%20-%20Getting%20it%20Right%3C/u%3E%3C/strong%3E

2020%20has%20thrown%20up%20some%20of%20the%20biggest%20strategic%20security%20and%20defence%20challenges%20in%20decades%20for%20India.%20%26nbsp%3BStrategically%20we%20focused%20on%20the%20wrong%20front%20knowing%20fully%20well%20that%20the%20primary%20threat%20lay%20elsewhere.%20Alas%2C%20Dokhlam%20had%20sounded%20the%20threat%20at%20the%20doorstep.%20Yet%20it%20was%20a%20case%20of%20turning%20a%20blind%20eye.%20This%20led%20to%20strategic%20surprise%20and%20disorientation%20both%20of%20military%20capability%20building%20and%20strategic%20cum%20operational%20military%20leadership%20focus.%20Ironically%2C%20the%20era%20and%20aura%20of%20%u2018number%20game%u2018%20and%26nbsp%3B%20%u2018surgical%20strikes%u2019%20on%20the%20less%20threatened%20front%2C%20seemed%20to%20be%20a%20more%20attractive%20mantra%20for%20stirring%20hyper-nationalism%20and%20military%20recognition%2C%20only%20to%20boomerang.%26nbsp%3B

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%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20Read%20%7C%3C/strong%3E%20%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/the-1948-battle-of-zojila-and-lessons-for-ladakh-2020%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EThe%201948%20Battle%20of%20Zojila%20and%20lessons%20for%20Ladakh%202020%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

Thus%2C%20the%20responsibility%20of%20neglect%20to%20matters%20defence%20in%20preference%20to%20more%20populistic%20and%20self-seeking%20agenda%2C%20cannot%20be%20put%20under%20the%20carpet.%26nbsp%3BAnother%20shortcoming%20that%20has%20hounded%20India%u2019s%20higher%20defence%20management%20and%20its%20overall%20security%20preparedness%2C%20is%20the%20lack%20of%20civil-military%20harmony%20and%20inter-ministerial%20disconnect%3Ci%3E%3Cstrong%3E.%26nbsp%3B%3C/strong%3E%3C/i%3EThis%20has%20led%20to%20a%20lack%20of%20military%2C%20political%20and%20diplomatic%20synergy%20in%20matters%20defence.%26nbsp%3B

The%20all-powerful%20policymaker%20bureaucrats%20have%20little%20exposure%20and%20understanding%20of%20matters%20military%2C%20the%20politicians%20have%20little%20time%2C%20inclination%20and%20long%20term%20vision%2C%20and%20the%20personality-oriented%20military%20happy%20in%20its%20service-specific%20bureaucratic%20layers%20lacking%20continuity%2C%20jointness%20and%20institutional%20approach%20to%20focused%20capability%20building.

A%20strong%20military%20cannot%20be%20built%20on%20paltry%20budgets%20ending%20into%20emergency%20panic%20procurements%20under%20crisis.%20It%20also%20needs%20manufacturing%20prowess%20and%20greater%20technological%20capabilities%20with%20focus%20on%20joint%20force%20capability%20building%20and%20synergetic%20application.%20In%20this%20sphere%2C%20we%20need%20to%20walk%20more%20than%20talk.%26nbsp%3B

Further%2C%20defence%20transformation%20is%20a%20critical%20facet%20of%20military%20capability%20building%20which%20must%20be%20progressed%20with%20due%20deliberation%20and%20foresight.%20It%20must%20be%20focused%20on%20outcomes%20for%20enhancing%20efficiency%20specific%20to%20our%20threats%20and%20desired%20capabilities%2C%20rather%20than%20additional%20bureaucratic%20layers%20or%20just%20additions%20to%20higher%20ranks%20with%20old%20mindsets.%3Ci%3E%3Cstrong%3E%26nbsp%3B%3C/strong%3E%3C/i%3E

Ironically%20with%20the%20absence%20of%20a%20National%20Security%20Strategy%2C%20India%20lacks%20the%20foundational%20edifice%20for%20restructuring%20and%20capability%20building%2C%20and%20thus%20remains%20more%20reactive%20to%20a%20crisis%20situation%20which%20seems%20to%20be%20our%20forte.%20An%20operational%20directive%20without%20a%20National%20Security%20Strategy%20will%20often%20result%20in%20a%20task%20to%20capability%20mismatch%20as%20has%20been%20the%20recent%20case.%26nbsp%3B

Technologically%20we%20kept%20our%20modernisation%20focus%20to%20fight%20the%20last%20war%20with%20dwindling%20defence%20budgetary%20support%20and%20reforms%2C%20strategically%20we%20lacked%20a%20national%20security%20strategy%20and%20integrated%20vision%2C%20and%20operationally%2C%20military%20leadership%20was%20found%20wanting%20in%20the%20nuances%20of%20the%20operational%20art%20of%20fighting%20limited%20wars%20having%20become%20counter-insurgency%20oriented.%20The%20tactical%20level%20of%20blood%2C%20guts%20and%20glory%20has%20always%20been%20the%20ultimate%20saviour%20for%20the%20nation%2C%20though%20at%20a%20much%20avoidable%20cost%20to%20precious%20lives.%26nbsp%3B%20I%20have%20already%20penned%20my%20views%20on%20lessons%20of%20Ladakh%20in%20my%20article%20%u201C%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/chinas-winter-face-saving-exit-option%22%3EChina%u2019s%20winter%20face-saving%20exit%20option%3C/a%3E%u201D%20published%20by%20OPOYI%20which%20merits%20attention%20by%20our%20national%20security%20decision-makers.

%3Cstrong%3E%3Cu%3EFuture%20Threats%20and%20Desired%20Capabilities%3C/u%3E%3C/strong%3E

India%20faces%20a%20turbulent%20and%20fragile%20strategic%20environment%20with%20multifarious%20threats%20and%20challenges.%20The%20two%20front%20dynamics%20with%20internal%20front%20turbulence%20is%20a%20reality%20of%20today%20we%20need%20to%20face%20squarely.%20The%20Ladakh%20impasse%20has%20once%20again%20highlighted%20the%20sensitivity%20of%20the%20physical%20and%20psychological%20congruence%20of%20two%20fronts.

At%20the%20strategic%20level%2C%20we%20need%20to%20delineate%20our%20focus%20and%20approach%20to%20state%20versus%20state%20and%20state%20versus%20non-state%20threats.%26nbsp%3BA%20nation%20like%20India%20with%20disputed%20borders%20and%20inimical%20neighbours%20must%20focus%20and%20orient%20essentially%20for%20the%20state%20versus%20state%20conflict%20and%20adapt%20to%20the%20state%20versus%20non-state%20threats.%26nbsp%3B

The%20severity%20and%20consequences%20of%20the%20former%20are%20more%20severe%20and%20face%20greater%20capability%20building%20challenges.%20A%20reverse%20focus%20can%20be%20disastrous%20especially%20at%20the%20leadership%20level.%20India%20for%20the%20foreseeable%20future%20will%20thus%20need%20to%20balance%20its%20force%20structure%20to%20counter%20existent%20threats%20to%20its%20continental%20and%20maritime%20domain%20while%20simultaneously%20building%20military%20capabilities%20in%20equally%20critical%20future%20domains%20like%20AI%2C%20IW%2C%20Space%2C%20Cyber%20etc.%26nbsp%3B

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%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20Read%20%7C%3C/strong%3E%20%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/the-1948-battle-of-zojila-and-lessons-for-ladakh-2020%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EThe%201948%20Battle%20of%20Zojila%20and%20lessons%20for%20Ladakh%202020%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

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India%u2019s%20deterrence%20has%20been%20repeatedly%20put%20to%20test%20in%20the%20recent%20past%2C%20leading%20to%20the%20exposure%20of%20strategic%20and%20operational%20voids%2C%20vulnerabilities%20and%20reactive%20response%20construct.%3Ci%3E%3Cstrong%3E%26nbsp%3B%3C/strong%3E%3C/i%3EDeterrence%20be%20it%20conventional%20or%20nuclear%20is%20an%20important%20facet%20of%20conflict%20prevention.%20It%u2019s%20an%20insurance%20to%20national%20security%20which%20comes%20with%20a%20hefty%20premium%20to%20which%20a%20nation%20must%20not%20turn%20a%20blind%20eye.%26nbsp%3B

Theoretically%2C%20there%20are%20two%20fundamental%20approaches%20to%20deterrence%20-%20%u2018Deterrence%20by%20Punishment%u2019%20which%20threatens%20severe%20penalties%20making%20them%20cost-prohibitive%20for%20the%20adversary%2C%20and%20%u2018Deterrence%20by%20Denial%u2019%20which%20seek%20to%26nbsp%3Bconvince%20an%20adversary%20that%20the%20aggression%20would%20fail%20to%20achieve%20its%20operational%20and%20strategic%20aims.%20India%u2019s%20punitive%20deterrence%20on%20the%20western%20front%20and%20credible%20deterrence%20on%20the%20northern%20front%20has%20failed%20to%20hold%20steady%20essentially%20because%20of%20the%20reactionary%20and%20a%20proactive%20approach.%20Thus%2C%20both%20borders%20remain%20turbulent%20with%20possibilities%20of%20conflict%20escalation.%26nbsp%3B

%3Cstrong%3E%3Cu%3EDeterrence%20Review%3C/u%3E%3C/strong%3E

The%20need%20is%20for%20a%20dispassionate%20review%20of%20our%20conventional%20deterrence%20with%20an%20accent%20on%20pre-emption%20and%20offensive%20defence%20orientation.%20This%20requires%20both%20induction%20of%20technology%2C%20a%20doctrinal%20shift%20in%20war-fighting%20and%20above%20all%20change%20of%20mindsets%20and%20leadership%20training.%26nbsp%3B

Punitive%20deterrence%20against%20Pakistan%20requires%20more%20teeth%20particularly%20in%20long-range%20precision%20stand-off%20capability%20with%20periodic%20strikes%20on%20terrorist%20launch%20pads/training%20areas%20and%20punitive%20border%20ceasefire%20violation%20response%20while%20being%20prepared%20for%20the%20next%20ladder%20of%20escalation.%20A%20status%20quo%20will%20be%20a%20victory%20for%20Pakistan.%26nbsp%3BThe%20tit%20for%20tat%20and%20number%20game%20of%20kill%20ratios%20must%20be%20replaced%20by%20more%20lethal%2C%20pre-emptive%20and%20punitive%20force%20application.%20Its%20time%20Pakistan%20is%20made%20to%20react%20to%20India%u2019s%20proactive%20overt%20and%20covert%20actions%2C%20borrowing%20the%20traditional%20deniability%20of%20Pakistan.%20An%20irate%20and%20obsessed%20Pakistan%20would%20not%20understand%20any%20other%20language.

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On%20the%20other%20hand%2C%20credible%20deterrence%20against%20China%20is%20a%20more%20challenging%20form.%20It%20entails%20defending%20along%20with%20a%20limited%20offensive%20capability%20for%20a%20quid%20pro%20quo%20gain.%20This%20would%20dilute%20China%u2019s%20offensive%20capacity%20by%20forcing%20him%20to%20divert%20resources%20to%20his%20defence%2C%20taking%20the%20war%20to%20the%20enemy%u2019s%20territory%20and%20increasing%20the%20political%20cost%20of%20aggression.%20A%20sample%20of%20what%20was%20done%20at%20Kailash%20range%20recently.%20This%20would%20cause%20strategic%20embarrassment%20and%20de-facto%20defeat%20to%20the%20aggressor.%26nbsp%3B

China%u2019s%20response%20must%20also%20be%20physically%20and%20psychologically%20constrained%20by%20multilateral%20and%20bilateral%20security%20partnerships%3Ci%3E%3Cstrong%3E.%20%3C/strong%3E%3C/i%3EThe%20present%20Indian%20shortcoming%20is%20in%20the%20comprehension%20of%20the%20basic%20concept%20of%20deterrence%20and%20defence.%20Deterrence%20seeks%20to%20make%20conflict%20look%20bad%20to%20the%20enemy%2C%20while%20defence%20seeks%20to%20make%20conflict%20better%20for%20oneself%20by%20stalling%20the%20aggressor.%20This%20is%20the%20essence%20and%20something%20the%20Indian%20establishment%20would%20do%20well%20to%20differentiate%20and%20arm%20its%20deterrence%20capabilities%20with%20offensive%20defence%20orientation.%26nbsp%3B

Credibility%20in%20deterrence%20also%20has%20a%20close%20bonding%20to%20commitment.%20Commitment%20is%20political%20in%20nature%20with%20due%20fiscal%20allocation%20for%20capability%20development%20and%20often%20put%20to%20test%20especially%20against%20a%20powerful%20adversary.%20When%20a%20challenge%20is%20directed%20against%20vital%20interests%20of%20the%20state%2C%20credibility%20is%20virtually%20assured.%20However%2C%20it%20is%20where%20commitment%20is%20questioned%2C%20that%20challenges%20are%20most%20likely%20to%20occur.%20A%20strong%20political%20will%20to%20commit%20forces%20and%20to%20convince%20a%20potential%20aggressor%20that%20the%20deterrer%20will%20carry%20out%20a%20threatened%20action%20irrespective%20of%20the%20cost%20will%20only%20be%20credible%20if%20the%20capacity%20and%20commitment%20exist.

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20Read%20%7C%3C/strong%3E%20%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/the-story-of-naya-pakistan-that-is-on-self-destruction-mode%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EThe%20story%20of%20%u2018Naya%20Pakistan%u2019%20that%20is%20on%20self-destruction%20mode%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

The%20need%20is%20thus%20to%20doctrinally%20review%20our%20threats%20and%20focus%20for%20the%20primary%20threat%20to%20our%20Northern%20Borders%20by%20the%205%20R%u2019s%20-%20Reorient%2C%20Rebalance%2C%20Restructure%2C%20Re-budget%20and%20Recalibrate%20our%20modernisation%20strategy%20for%20building%20desired%20military%20capabilities%20and%20capacities%20for%20both%20effective%20deterrence.%26nbsp%3BThese%20have%20been%20elaborated%20in%20my%20article%26nbsp%3B%u2018Military%20Transformation%20for%20the%20Northern%20Borders%20-%20Focus%20and%20Policy%20Construct%u2019%20published%20by%20the%20Centre%20of%20Joint%20Warfare%20Studies.%20Militarily%2C%20developing%20capabilities%20to%20counter%20China%20must%20be%20the%20primary%20focus%20which%20will%20also%20cater%20to%20an%20irate%20Pakistan.%26nbsp%3B

Acme%20of%20national%20security%20strategy%20will%20thus%20lie%20in%20focusing%20combat%20power%20on%20the%20primary%20front%20while%20denying%20any%20gains%20on%20the%20secondary%20front%20by%20in-situ%20forces%20with%20minimal%20reserves.%20%26nbsp%3B

Rebalancing%20and%20reorienting%20military%20power%20towards%20China%20including%20maritime%20domain%2C%20as%20also%20the%20creation%20of%20centralised%20reserves%20for%20inter%20front%20application%20and%20out%20of%20area%20contingencies%20must%20find%20strategic%20focus.%20In%20addition%20to%20technology%20induction%2C%20areas%20of%20C5ISR%2C%20Information%20Warfare%2C%20Cyber%2C%20Space%20and%20AI%20must%20find%20the%20requisite%20focus%20in%20our%20capability%20development%20both%20in%20the%20kinetic%20and%20non-kinetic%20domain.

%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23IndianArmy%22%20data-user-id%3D%22bOfikYrrTLVD%22%20href%3D%22/topic/indianarmy%22%3E%23IndianArmy%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23India%22%20data-user-id%3D%22Bq4MmUPrXF8p%22%20href%3D%22/topic/india%22%3E%23India%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23China%22%20data-user-id%3D%22gtTvlJMpH5eQ%22%20href%3D%22/topic/china%22%3E%23China%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Pakistan%22%20data-user-id%3D%22wizuXkuQ3rL8%22%20href%3D%22/topic/pakistan%22%3E%23Pakistan%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Ladakhstandoff%22%20data-user-id%3D%22kcIkAUrhtuNV%22%20href%3D%22/topic/ladakh-standoff%22%3E%23Ladakhstandoff%3C/a%3E%26nbsp%3B