PM Modi Likely to Maintain Continuity in National Security Leadership for Third Term

PM Modi Likely to Maintain Continuity in National Security Leadership for Third Term

It is anticipated that, in his third term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will opt for continuity in the leadership of the nation’s security apparatus by retaining his position on the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). On June 13, Modi is expected to travel with Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor, to the G-7 meeting in Italy. We are expecting orders to proceed from the NSA and Principal Secretary to the PM, Dr. P. K. Mishra. The time has come to choose Tapan Deka, the Director of the Intelligence Bureau, who has done a fantastic job in providing internal intelligence against Islamists and Maoists in the nation, even if PM Modi would have to make a decision regarding the next Army chief. June 30 is when Deka, a leading authority on counterterrorism, is supposed to finish his two-year assignment.

The PM can choose to appoint Lt General Upendra Dwivedi, the senior most Army Commander, who has served as Northern Army Commander for two years and has first-hand knowledge of Indian adversaries to the north and west, as Army Chief Gen. Manoj Pande is set to reach superannuation on June 30th after a stellar innings. In addition, General Dwivedi has firsthand knowledge of the cross-border terrorism that occurs in the Rajouri-Poonch area; the most recent event, the firing in Reasi, claimed the lives of ten Hindu pilgrims. It is not expected that extreme steps will be taken to control a ship the size of the Indian Army, even though the PM and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh have other options.

India will need to increase its domain awareness in relation to China and Pakistan in addition to self-proclaimed adversaries like Canada, the UK, Germany, and Turkey if it is to become a global force in Modi 3.0. In other words, India needs to strengthen its own resources in order to be competitive and cannot rely on pooled external intelligence. It is imperative to properly counteract the role played by the Chinese, Western, and Pakistani media during the 2024 election campaign against Prime Minister Modi, in the same way that anti-India forces must be neutralized. PM Modi already has firsthand knowledge of what to anticipate from the western media during his third term, having conducted no fewer than 83 interviews with them in the lead-up to the 2024 elections.

But China’s PLA Navy is growing quickly in the Indo-Pacific, and the US Navy, which was once the strongest, is clearly unsure it can defeat Beijing, as evidenced by the Biden administration’s mixed signals. India’s largest challenge will come from the maritime sector. The enormous Communist state is likely to force the littoral governments to submit, prompting the Chinese Navy to launch long-range incursions into the Indian Ocean region. As it stands, China’s Belt Road Initiative has put the Indian neighborhood in grave debt, and that fact alone will give the Xi Jinping administration a great deal of leverage.

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In this regard, to properly control the Chinese threat, the Modi administration must expand its island possessions as a component of the marine security architecture. Rafale maritime fighters are needed by India as of yesterday to strengthen the INS Vikrant aircraft carrier and create security advantages in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep. The national security doctrines of India must be adjusted to handle future concerns, just as the west did nothing when China violated the boundaries of Ladakh in May 2020. India must be ready to take on the PLA Navy in the Indo-Pacific on its own.

Source: Hindustan Times