Former Air Marshal K C Cariappa today emphasised on the need to have a “practical” national security doctrine and a “robust” nuclear policy to “reassure citizens that appropriate measures are in place to protect them.”
Speaking at the second Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon memorial lecture here, he said a strategic defence doctrine should be put in place and endorsed by all political parties.
“We do not have a national security doctrine. The existence of such a document will dissuade adventurism and will reassure our citizens that appropriate measures are in place to protect us,” Cariappa said.
“A credible message must be conveyed to our people. A practical national security strategy and robust nuclear policy must be endorsed by all political parties,” the former Air Marshal said.
Cariappa said the need for such a doctrine is necessary in the face of having a nuclear-armed neighbour, Pakistan.
“They have created forces that destabilise our society by encouraging traditional antagonism… we need to tailor our strategic defence doctrine to create long-term measures towards a deterrent based on severe retribution as there can be no scope for indecisiveness,” he said.
Speaking on the need for a robust nuclear policy, Cariappa suggested that India’s nuclear forces must be placed under a strategic forces commander, who will be answerable to the Prime Minister, and will be the ultimate authority to launch the first strike in foreign territory.
“A command control and communication centre must be built. Our targeting philosophy must be involved and redirected to two notices, but yet the message must be loud and clear that this has been done, and that in fact our targeting policy exists,” he said.
Speaking on ‘Civil Military Relations’, former Commodore C Uday Bhaskar pointed out that there exists very little contact between India’s political establishment and military, and said the Indian Parliament exhibits “almost zero interest” in matters related to defence.
“The political establishment of India does not really have interest in military or the institution. There is a reason. Much of politics is now caught up in electoral cycle and military as an institution till recently did not represent a vote bank,” he said.
The fear of “coup” led to an understanding that the military should be kept outside the structures of formal governance, he said. (MORE)
(This article has not been edited by DNA’s editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
Source: dnaindia.com