The National Security Mechanism

(This is an expanded version of a talk delivered at aseminar on "National Security--Internal and External Dimensions"jointly organised by the Association of Retired Senior Indian Police ServiceOfficers (ARSIPSO) and the India International Centre (IIC) at New Delhi onJanuary 15, 2005)

1. Does India have the national security mechanism it needs? What are theinherent strengths and weaknesses of  the  mechanism it has presently?What modifications are required to remove the weaknesses while at the same timepreserving and further adding to the strengths? What are the lessons which wecan learn  from the mechanisms of other countries? These are some of thequestions that need attention in any debate on national security.

2. National security, which, in Israel, is treated as synonymous with nationalsurvival, has the following  five major components--- diplomatic, military,internal security, economic and intelligence. These components are closelyinter-linked and even if one of them is weak, national security as a whole willbe correspondingly weakened. National security management is the art andtechnique of integrating  these components and making them function in aco-ordinated, effective and harmonious manner in times of normalcy as well as intimes of crises.

3. The post-Second World War evolution of the concept of national securitymanagement has identified certain other sub-components, which  need equalattention for preserving national security and well-being.These are riskmanagement, disruption control management, disaster mitigation and management, whether the disaster is natural (the recent Tsunami which struck Indonesia,Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar and the Maldives in the Asian region) orman-made (the Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984), and  consequence and nationalresilience management.

4. As unconventional threats to nation-States  from non-State actors suchas insurgents and terrorists, trans-national criminals, narcotics smugglers,counterfeiters etc have increased, there has been a realisation that techniquesand tradecraft, which served us fairly adequately against predictable State adversaries, may not be adequate against often unpredictable non-Stateactors, and that new analytical tools are required to meet the new threats. Theold concept of threat analysis has been supplemented by risk analysis andvulnerability analysis. Lucid analysis---whether of threats, risks orvulnerabilities---is the starting point of effective national securitypolicy-making, implementation and co-ordination.

5. Al Qaeda's terrorist strikes of September 11,2001, in the US homeland hadimportant lessons not only for the US, but also for the rest of the world. Amongthese lessons, one could mention:

• Without effective internal security, even the most powerful political, economic and military power in the world would be at the mercy of inimical forces.
  
  
• The globalisation of terrorism and the consequent externalisation of internal threats to security have underlined the importance of an integrated approach to national security. Such an integrated approach has always had an importance in national security management but it has acquired added importance post-9/11.

• "Since the end of World War II, each Administration has sought to develop and perfect a reliable set of executive institutions to manage national security policy. Each President has tried to avoid  the problems and deficiencies of his predecessor's efforts and install a policy-making and co-ordination system that reflected his personal management style. The NSC has been at the centre of this foreign policy co-ordination system, but it has changed many times to conform with the needs and inclinations of each succeeding Chief Executive."
  
  
• " The view that the Council's role was to foster collegiality among departments also gave way to the need by successive Presidents to use the Council  as a means of controlling and managing competing Departments."
  
  
• "The structure and functioning of the NSC depended in no small degree  upon the interepersonal chemistry between the President and his principal advisers  and Department heads. But despite the relationships between individuals,  a satisfactory organisational structure had to be developed, for  without it the necessary flow of information  and implementation of decisions could not occur.  Although a permanent staff gradually began to take shape, the main substantive work occurred in the Departments."
  
  
• ' For 50 years, 10 Presidents have sought  to use the NSC system  to integrate foreign and defence policies  in order to preserve the nation's security and advance its interests abroad. Recurrent structural modifications over the years have reflected  the presidential management style,  changing requirements  and personal relationships. "
  

• The Principal Accounting Officer for a Single Intelligence Account (that is, preparation of a consolidated budget for all the intelligence agencies).
  
• Chairing the Permanent Secretaries' Committee on the Intelligence Services (PSIS), which advises on intelligence collection requirements, on the agencies' programmes and expenditure, and on co-ordination issues  such as the promotion of joint working between the agencies and other Departments.
  
• Chairing the Central Official Committee to ensure the implementation of CONTEST, the Government's five-year counter-terrorism strategy.
  
• Deputy Chair of the Civil Contingenies Committee.
  
• Co-chairing the US-UK Joint Contact Group on Homeland Security.
  
• Chairing the Official Committee on Security to ensure the implementation of the Government's Protective Security Strategy.