'In Hard Times': New Book Emphasises Smarter Approach To Security Challenges In India

Edited by Manoj Joshi, Praveen Swami, and Nishtha Gautam, 'In Hard Times' is an important collection that highlights the major challenges India confronts and the ways they can be tackled.

The launch of 'In Hard Times: Security In A Time Of Insecurity' In Delhi's India Habitat Centre ( Image Source :ABP )

"Getting into any kind of war is not wise for any country in the world," senior journalist and author Nishtha Gautam said at the launch of the book 'In Hard Times: Security In A Time Of Insecurity' — an essay collection edited by Manoj Joshi, Praveen Swami, and Nishtha Gautam that highlights the major challenges India confronts and the ways they can be tackled.

The contributors in 'The Hard Times' include former military officers, including Admiral Arun Prakash and Lt General DS Hooda, whose views have helped shape discussions on strategy, as well as commentators such as Dr Sanjaya Baru. Experience tells us that in war it's often the smarter side that wins, not the stronger one — these essays point in that direction.

Elaborating on her stance about war and citing the example of Russia, Gautam told ABP Live after the book launch Wednesday: "We have seen Russia — one of the superpowers — down to its knees. Who would have thought it would stretch and go on and on? It's not helping anybody, it has disrupted supply chains across the world, and it is not good for us or any country."

In the context of India and the impression that going into a war boasts of the military prowess of a country, especially keeping in mind the dispute with Pakistan and a call for war by a large section of people to give a 'befitting reply', Gautam said: "When we get into a war-like situation let alone a war, it's not good for us. It's not supported by our economic or socio-political realities. Nothing supports a war. Ever."

In recent times the subject of defence has entered political space with parties trying to pull one another down on the subject, especially when it comes to India's response to the border standoff with China among others. As the book analyses defence in great detail, when asked about India's preparedness to face the challenges posed by China and Pakistan and the politicisation of the issue, Gautam said, "We are prepared but there is a lot that needs to be done and all of the stakeholders not only political parties, even us citizens have our weight to pull when it comes to a holistic security approach for the country."

Speaking about differences in the matter of defence and security, she gave an example from the book. She said, "There have to be disagreements and this book has disagreements. We have two authors from the Navy, from the Air Force and two from the Army and they have taken contradictory approaches and but they both are valid. They need to be tested. They can't be discarded just on account of where the approach is coming from. So there has to be a dialogue between all stakeholders and then to arrive at a strategy that works the best."

The authors state in the book that India needs a national security strategy for hard times. It would be a strategy grounded in reality – India's priority has to be raising vast numbers of its people out of abject poverty, even if the strategies of countries like China and the United States, economically more developed, can aim at being global powers.

The book highlights that since the mid-1990s, Indian thinking on national security has been based on the assumption that the country would progress on a growth trajectory sufficient to modernise its defence capacities and thereby enable some form of parity with a rising China.

The reality has been otherwise. China's spectacular growth – and accompanying military modernisation – has hugely outpaced that of India while the Indian military modernisation has moved fitfully.

In the past several years, budgets have committed less than 2 per cent of GDP – the lowest levels since the war of 1962 – for the military. Even if spending were to rise to 3 per cent, little funding would be available for modernisation after allowing for rising pensions, salaries and other components of the budget, the book explains.