{"id":6644,"date":"2023-11-28T23:53:30","date_gmt":"2023-11-28T18:23:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/?p=6644"},"modified":"2025-01-04T14:47:54","modified_gmt":"2025-01-04T09:17:54","slug":"q-a-series-indias-foreign-policy-defence-diplomacy-and-military-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/2023\/11\/28\/q-a-series-indias-foreign-policy-defence-diplomacy-and-military-power\/","title":{"rendered":"415: Q &#038; A SERIES: INDIA\u2019S FOREIGN POLICY, DEFENCE DIPLOMACY AND MILITARY POWER"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #800080;\"><strong><u>Q-1<\/u><\/strong> \u00a0 Has Indian foreign policy become more assertive about India\u2019s interests?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\"><strong><u>A-1<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">The trend for foreign policy is changing worldwide.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Multilateralism is changing to mini-lateralism.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">The engagements between countries have become interest and issue-based.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">India\u2019s policy has changed from a policy of non-alignment to a policy of equidistance.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">The engagements are governed by own interests, needs, and gains.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">The world is accepting Indian stand on various issues.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Indian assertion level is appropriate, generally in take it or leave it mode without thrusting it upon others.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #800080;\"><strong><u>Q-2<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 Comments about India\u2019s focus on Asian region and\u00a0neighborhood.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\"><strong><u>A-2<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Focus on Asia and the neighborhood has come a bit late with China having made inroads into our neighborhood adopting the string of pearls policy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">We need to be magnanimous in our approach towards our neighbours to retain them with us.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Like any other country, our global engagements are based on our interests first and then on ideology and principles.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #800080;\"><strong><u>Q-3<\/u><\/strong>.\u00a0 Comments on India\u2019s moral-based foreign policy, with a principled approach, and not using its military power for foreign policy objectives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\"><strong><u>A-3<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">In agreement with the statement that \u201cIndia foundationally remains a pacifist state, following moral based foreign policy, the strength of soft power and principled approach\u201d.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">It is not necessary to use force and military might to attain one&#8217;s foreign policy objectives.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Hard power can be used as a soft power as well using Military Diplomacy to achieve one\u2019s objectives.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Foreign policy and military diplomacy need to work cohesively.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Notwithstanding the above, India has in the past used its hard power to attain its foreign policy objectives. Examples include Bangladesh liberation, Sri Lanka and Maldives operations.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #800080;\"><strong><u>Q-4<\/u><\/strong>.\u00a0 India needs to spend more on its conventional military forces, building military capabilities and deterrence, due to its regional and global aspirations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\"><strong><u>A-4<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">At the moment India\u2019s necessity to invest in building conventional military power is governed more by its threat perception and need to guard its interests.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Regional and or global aspirations come next.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Military capability and deterrence are essential to be considered as a major regional power.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Military power alone is not sufficient, it has to be backed by economic clout and strength.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #800080;\"><strong><u>Q-5<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0In an age of comprehensive security, is military power by itself adequate?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\"><strong><u>A-5<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">While it is true that, military power is a significant ingredient of power projection it greatly impacts international dynamics and relations between nations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">It alone cannot achieve national objectives. It has to be backed by economic clout and a balanced all-round deterrence capability.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Earlier the debate used to be between money being spent on development or military capability.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Military power is essential even for unhindered growth.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">The nature of warfare is changing. Firstly, hostile actions do take place even in no-war scenarios and secondly, the hostilities are not limited to the military alone.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">New dimensions of warfare have emerged that affect the entire nation and demand a whole of national response.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">The question of choice is not as simple as \u201ceither one or the other\u201d. A balanced approach is required for multi-dimensional holistic capability enhancement.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Balance has to be maintained between:-<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Military power and other tools of statecraft.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Conventional military power and other dimensions of warfare.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Military capability and capacity to wage war.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Quality and quantity of platform, weapons, and war-waging wherewithal.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Military capability and adequate deterrence are required first and foremost for safeguarding own interests, thereafter comes regional\/global responsibilities and aspirations.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #800080;\"><strong><u>Q-6<\/u><\/strong> \u00a0 India with its present stage of development, can ill afford to suffer a military setback, due to loss of deterrence as a result of inadequate defence funding.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">\u00a0<strong><u>A-6<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">In agreement with the statement.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">The minimum credible deterrence value of the military needs to be maintained at all times.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">The minimum deterrence value depends upon, the number of enemies, their military capabilities, and their attitude.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">In India\u2019s case, the enemy&#8217;s capabilities are racing ahead creating a wide gap and the attitude has become more belligerent and aggressive.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #800080;\"><strong><u>Q-7<\/u><\/strong>. What does a \u2018credible military capability\u2019 entail?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\"><strong><u>A-7<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Credible military capability to my mind would entail the following in sequence:-<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Adequate deterrence.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">The ability for strategic coercion.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Punitive capability.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Ability to wage war if required,<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Adequate war endurance.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Ability to provide human assistance and disaster relief (HADR) domestically as well as externally.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Capability to exploit Defence Diplomacy.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Collective security is valid not only during the war but also to deal with grey zone operations during the time of peace.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #800080;\"><strong><u>Q-8<\/u><\/strong>.\u00a0 \u00a0What capabilities are required for military hard power to become an effective means of state-craft?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\"><strong><u>A-8<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">The military alone cannot achieve the national objectives. Besides aspects mentioned earlier areas which need attention are:-<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Ability to meet challenges in the nonconventional and new domains of warfare including Nuclear, Biological, Space, Cyber, Electronic, and Information.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Any reorganization should be to cater for future challenges in these domains.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">A robust defence industry and production eco-system are essential.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Intangible factors like morale and training are very important along with doctrine, strategy, and tactics.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Reach, precision, standoff, and a robust supply chain are equally important.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;\"><u>Suggestions and value additions are most welcome<\/u><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #800000; font-size: 14pt;\">For regular updates, please register here<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"i40GFLw3w0\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/subscribe\/\">Subscribe<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Subscribe&#8221; &#8212; Air Marshal&#039;s Perspective\" src=\"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/subscribe\/embed\/#?secret=zKVptXRYV0#?secret=i40GFLw3w0\" data-secret=\"i40GFLw3w0\" width=\"525\" height=\"296\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><u>References and credits<\/u><\/p>\n<p>To all the online sites and channels.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><u>Disclaimer<\/u>:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Information and data included in the blog are for educational &amp; non-commercial purposes only and have been carefully adapted, excerpted, or edited from sources deemed reliable and accurate. All copyrighted material belongs to respective owners and is provided only for purposes of wider dissemination.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Q-1 \u00a0 Has Indian foreign policy become more assertive about India\u2019s interests?\u00a0 A-1 The trend for foreign policy is changing worldwide. Multilateralism is changing to mini-lateralism. The engagements between countries have become interest and issue-based. India\u2019s policy has changed from a policy of non-alignment to a policy of equidistance. The engagements are governed by &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/2023\/11\/28\/q-a-series-indias-foreign-policy-defence-diplomacy-and-military-power\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;415: Q &#038; A SERIES: INDIA\u2019S FOREIGN POLICY, DEFENCE DIPLOMACY AND MILITARY POWER&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,68,78],"tags":[386,408,79],"class_list":["post-6644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","category-geo-politics","category-military-capability","tag-defence-diplomacy","tag-foreign-policy","tag-military-capability"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6644"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6644\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9155,"href":"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6644\/revisions\/9155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}