Why this Task Force?
Naresh Chandra
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Recommendations of Naresh Chandra Task Force on National security
[not exhaustive]
On the Enemies of India
On China
- China will become militarily more assertive and nationalistic as its economic and military power grows.
- China will continue to utilize Pakistan as part of its grand strategy for containing India in a “South Asian box”.
- United states will become more circumspect and accommodating in dealing with China.
- Therefore India should shift focus of national security strategy from Pakistan to China.
- Army be given management of Sino-Indian borders and India should become more assertive in dealing with China.
On Pakistan
- Pakistani military hasnot given up the use of radical Islamic groups to promote terrorism in both India and Afghanistan
- biggest concern is Pakistan’s ambition to use Afghanistan for strategic depth.
- India should spare no effort, politically, diplomatically, economically and through military assistance to ensure that Pakistani efforts to convert Afghanistan into an extremist run, pliant and client state are frustrated.
On Naxalites
Secret Talks
- government give up its pre-condition of cessation of violence for opening talks with Naxalites.
- Instead, Government should try to secretly reach the pro-talks elements within the top Naxal leadership and tell them that the government will not be cowed down by their acts of violence and that dialogue is the best option to redress their grievances.
- Even if the peace efforts do not lead to solution, it’ll lead to confusion and division within the “pro-talk” and “anti-talk” elements in Naxal leadership.
- Even during the talks and negotiations, the Area domination will have to continue and forces must keep track of the Maoist elements who come overground for the talks. [because in 2004 a short-lived ceasefire-cum-talks between the Andhra Pradesh establishment and CPI (Maoist) was conveniently used by the naxalites to regroup and rearm themselves.]
More army presence in Naxal areas
- Army should not involve in direct combat with naxals but army should establish more training institutes in Naxal areas.
- And then, from those traninig institutes, army should reach out to the tribals residing in surrounding villages by offering them facilities like schools, medical care and potable drinking water. This may help in eroding the support base of the Naxalites.
- Army training schools proposed in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Maharashtra will help train the central paramilitary forces engaged in counter-Naxal duties in jungle warfare.
Make More Institutions
Advanced Projects Agency (APA)
- to undertake high-risk futuristic military research.
- The head of APA will act as Scientific Advisor to Defense Minister. [scientific advisor to the Raksha Mantri (SA to RM).]
- APA will be assisted by
- UGC (University Grants Commission)
- CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research)
- BARC ( Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
- TIFR (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research)
- Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
- APA would fund research in institutions like IITs, universities and private laboratories.
- APA will not be involved with DRDO
- DRDO must assume responsibility for managing the DRDO’s laboratories and research centres and ensuring the on-time delivery of projects undertaken there.
Bureau of politico-military affairs
- Defence ministry should set up a bureau of politico-military affairs
- this Bureau would be liaison with the ministry of external affairs (MEA) on issues and actions having foreign policy applications
- ministry of external affairs (MEA) should not work in isolation from other ministries, particularly with respect to securing access to strategic materials, hydrocarbons etc.
Defense university and Think Tank
- establish a National defense University (NDU)
- create a separate think-tank on internal security.
- A sub-group on defense technology, comprising representatives of DRDO, military, private sector, academia, military and other stakeholders.
FDI in defense
- Right now only 26%
- Need to increase it to 49%
- So that we can manufacture items in India, using the latest technologies already developed by foreign entities.
Get more Staff [Personnel]
Overall
- Amend the Prevention of Corruption Act to reassure honest officers that they’ll not be harassed for making defence equipment purchases.
- Induct more foreign language experts into the intelligence and security agencies.
- Allow more cross-postings between Service HQ (Army, Navy, Airforce) and Ministry of Defence
Diplomats
- The ministry of external affairs (MEA) doesn’t have enough diplomats to “anticipate, analyze and act on contemporary challenges”
- quality of new recruits (through UPSC) is often uneven
- (for example UPSC topper Alok Ranjan Jha became IFS but allegedly got drunk and misbehaved with Air India staff in New York and thus he was recalled. Some other IFS officers showing their ‘mardaangi’ by beating up wives and maids and appearing in newspaper headlines every now and then.)
- several recruits refuse to join the MEA.
- It requires huge time and effort to train new IFS officers and making them proficient in English and other foreign languages. [IFS training takes around 3 years, while IAS/IPS training done in about 2 years]
- Therefore, Ministry of External Affairs should accept officials from civil services and armed forces on short duration (five years) deputations rather than solely relying on UPSC.
- Indian embassies and missions, which are required to play a key role in issues such as acquisition of raw materials, hydrocarbons, should be staffed with “consultants with the requisite technical and technological background.
Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC)
Need COSC to keep an eye on China and Pak
- He will have a fixed tenure of two years and will be rotated among the three services (Army, Navy, Airforce).
- He’ll be in charge of making net assessment about the strengths and weaknesses of India’s adversaries—China and Pakistan—in a holistic manner
- Currently, the three services make their individual assessments [about China and Pak], which remains buried in files that never see the light of the day.
Special Forces
- a separate command structure under the chairman chiefs of staff committee.
- These special force will be dealing with foreign backed proxy wars and combat search and rescue operation or handling hostage crisis. [something like US NAVY SEALS that killed Bin Laden.]
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