SHOULD
THE MANDARIN SPEAKING NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER RESIGN?
DR.ADITYANJEE
http://councilforstrategicaffairs.blogspot.com/2013/05/should-mandarin-speaking-national.html
There was a Pakistani intrusion into Indian territory in 1999 in
Kargil in J&K. It was considered as an intelligence failure of Himalayan
proportions. Post-Kargil, an expert committee was appointed by the then Prime Minister
Atal Bihari Vajpayee under the
chairmanship of Late Shri K. Subramanian, former defense Secretary and a
respected strategy and security expert that made a number of recommendations. One of the suggestions was to establish the
office of the National Security Advisor who would render overall advice to the
Government of India (read PMO) on security matters so as to avoid the kind of intelligence
failure we saw during the Kargil fiasco.
India’s current National Security Advisor, Shiv Shankar
Menon is a Mandarin speaking former foreign secretary who has held the office
of NSA since 17th January 2010. He has been a former Indian Ambassador to China
who has generally a good image as a diplomat having succeeded in getting NSG
approval for the US-India Civil Nuclear Energy Deal. He comes from a family of
accomplished diplomats; his father Parappil Narayana Menon served as the
ambassador to Yugoslavia in his last days. His grandfather K. P. S. Menon
(senior) was India's first Foreign Secretary, while his uncle K. P. S. Menon (junior)
was the former Indian ambassador to China. From these impeccable credentials it
appears that diplomacy runs in his genes. It also seems that being the foreign
secretary to the Government of India as well as being the ambassador to China
runs in his genes from the paternal side of his family. He has generally taken a
very conciliatory stance towards China in his public pronouncements.
We are facing again a situation analogous to both 1999 Kargil
fiasco as well as 1962 Chinese war against India in regards to the recent Chinese intrusion in the
Daulat Beg Oldi sector in the Ladakh district of J&K. There were ample warnings about
multiple Chinese intrusions into Indian territory across the Line of Actual Control
during the last few years. All branches of the PLA (army, air-force and navy) have
repeatedly intruded into Indian territory during the last few years. In fact the
former Chief of Army retired General VK Singh had amply warned the Government of
India about lack of military preparedness on our northern border against a very
hostile adversary. Our security establishment as well as the government of the
day minimized these brazen incidents. False and dastardly malicious rumors were
spread about the possibility of an army coup being staged by the retired
General VK Singh.
Certainly, it appears that the current NSA has failed
miserably in properly advising the Government of India about the magnitude of the threat
perception from China though he has been in office for more than three years.
There has been a serious failure of overall threat assessment as well as of threat
perception from China by the office of NSA. It would be honorable for the NSA Shiv
Shankar Menon to submit his resignation and own up the moral responsibility for
the dismal failure of his office. One wonders whether he was reading the Chinese
(Mandarin) press at all during the last three years?
This brings us to two more pertinent issues regarding management
of India’s security establishment.
First has to do with the credentials for appointment to
the post of National Security Advisor. Why it is that only retired IFS officers are
deemed worthy and capable enough of leading the office of the NSA? Why does not the Government
of the day rely on security and strategic expertise outside the “clubby”
community of retired civil servants. Why can we not have a retired defense officer
appointed as the National Security Advisor?
Second relevant issue is about the non-implementation of
the K Subramanian Committee’s recommendation about the appointment of a Chief
of Defense Staff (CDS). When will the Government of India consider appointing a
CDS? Perhaps after the PLA reaches New Delhi?
George Santayana once famously said: “Those who fail to
learn from the lessons of history are condemned to repeat it!
DR. ADITYANJEE
PRESIDENT,
THE COUNCIL FOR STRATEGIC AFFAIRS, NEW
DELHI
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