Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan has dismissed the widely held view that India lacks a National Security Strategy (NSS), asserting that the country already possesses the necessary organisational structures, policies, and processes to secure its national interests. The comment comes amid a long-standing debate within India’s strategic community on the importance of a formal, codified security doctrine.
In his newly released book, “Ready, Relevant and Resurgent: A Blueprint for the Transformation of India’s Military”, General Chauhan challenges both domestic and international voices who argue that India’s absence of a formally published NSS undermines its strategic posture.
“Strategic analysts and political pundits in India and abroad often state that India does not have a NSS. That is incorrect and a myopic understanding of the issue. What we don’t have is a written document called NSS, which is published periodically by some Western nations,” General Chauhan wrote.
Drawing comparisons with other nations, the CDS pointed out that even Israel, which he described as “the most threatened nation on earth,” does not have a written NSS.
“On the contrary, Pakistan issued a written National Security Policy in 2022 and soon ran into economic problems, political instability, rift between the Armed Forces and the citizens and problems on its western borders,” he noted, arguing that a written document does not guarantee security.
“Pakistan had the written document but lacked the organisational structures, processes and policies to secure itself,” General Chauhan added.
His remarks come in contrast to the position taken by his predecessor, former Army chief General M.M. Naravane, who in 2022 had publicly called for an urgent formulation of a comprehensive National Security Strategy. Naravane had argued that such a policy was essential for laying down long-term national and geopolitical objectives, especially in light of India’s evolving threat environment.
“Unless there is a NSS in place, just to keep talking of `theaterisation’ is to actually put the cart before the horse,” General Naravane had said, cautioning against moving forward with large-scale structural reforms in the military without a guiding strategic document.
The creation of unified theatre commands—integrated structures that would combine Army, Navy, and Air Force resources for more effective joint operations—remains a key task before the CDS. These reforms, long discussed and often delayed, are aimed at ensuring India’s war-fighting capability remains sharp and financially sustainable.
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