Various new age threats to Indian security

Various new age threats to Indian security

India is a land of great cultural and religious diversity. It’s second-largest after China with regard to population.   With the rise in modern technologies and penetration, India confronts a wide spectrum of threats to its security.   Globalization based on economic forces has made the world a village with a common market, economy, financial system, production lines, social infrastructure, etc.

Various new age threats to Indian security:

Cyber-threats: Cybersecurity has become a critical area, with cybercriminals getting more sophisticated by the day. While we are seeing a lot of initiatives in terms of building new infrastructures and digital India, we are yet to address the gaps.

Climate change as a destabilising threat: Climate change and its impact is one of the most critical issues concerning India’s security. Dwindling freshwater resources has led to many inter-state water tussles. Such endeavors may not only affect the environment but also lead to a threat to internal security.

New form of Terrorism: The new-age terrorists are low-cost, hard to detect, and can strike anywhere anytime. Today’s terrorist outfits with an anti-national characteristic that does not recognize the territorial boundaries are exploiting the ground reality that India is a vast country with multiple external and internal security challenges.

Demographic changes and their consequences: One of the most serious threats to Indian security, internal & external, is from the demographic changes that are taking place in Asia. The important Asian countries such as India, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh are sitting on a huge Demographic Dividend.

New technologies: India’s security is vulnerable to threats from different new-age technologies which can take the form of cyberattacks, terrorism, human rights violation, etc. These threats are diverse in nature but have a common goal to destabilize Indian security.

How should India prepare itself for these threats?

Strengthening security enforcement agencies: Even if the Indian government is doing its best to building a secure environment for its citizens, the reality is that it may not be enough. The only way to protect Indian cyberspace from any damage is to get all possible threats and enforce an aggressive preventive security strategy. It involves organizing joint cyberwar games with international bodies and governments of other nations.

Climate action: The ever-increasing number of natural disasters affects everyone in the country. The frequency of such disasters is on the rise; every day brings news of a fresh calamity, either in terms of floods in some part of the country, or drought in another. We must be prepared for natural disasters that may threaten the survival of the state and its population.

Public-private partnership: At present, India is not prepared to address cyber threats. We have to tweak the law and have better surveillance and interception systems. Change has to come from the government but it has been slow in coming so far. The public-private partnership will be key going ahead because a lot depends on how the private sector responds.

Smart policing: Smart policing requires police to use real-time technology and data analysis to pursue smarter policing. Data must be used in appropriate strategies to reduce crime by dismantling criminal networks, tackling neighborhood safety problems, suppressing problem pockets, and reducing road traffic offenses. It must have the capability to receive crime tips from the public in real-time through smartphone apps. It must also aspire to anticipate crime and disorder problems using social media, open data, and artificial intelligence.

Regulations: With the increased use and penetration of information technologies, it has become essential to have some kind of legislation to protect children from cybercrime to prevent crimes through the Internet and other computerized networks. Indian lawmakers need to legitimize the use of these new technologies, but ensure that it is done in a manner that ensures security for its citizens.