Modi’s Military

Pravin Sawhney

Contrary to the perception, five years of the Modi government have weakened India’s national security since the focus was not on making India militarily strong, but on furthering the right-wing agenda of projecting a muscular India. This was done by a three-pronged simultaneous plan: identification of a desirable threat; centralised defence planning; and deep selection of service chiefs. This has eliminated the need for urgent military reforms. Interestingly, nobody even notices this.

PM Narendra Modi greeting the three service chiefs

The recent appointment of Vice Admiral Karambir Singh as the next chief of naval staff superseding an officer does not mean that he manipulated his elevation. All it implies is that he was perceived as more suitable for the task at hand which was explained by the Prime Minister himself in October 2014. Addressing the combined commanders conference, Narendra Modi had said, “The threats may be known, but the enemy may be invisible.” At once it was clear that fighting terrorism would be the primary job of the armed forces, never mind the growing real threats from the two military lines, with Pakistan and China.

Since terrorism had global appeal, it would help raise Modi’s stature on the world stage. With the National Securi