• National security encompasses the national defense, foreign intelligence and counterintelligence, international and internal security, and foreign relations.
• Defence primarily concerns itself with safeguarding against external military threats and maintaining national sovereignty. Conversely, security encompasses a broader spectrum, extending to protection against non-military threats like terrorism, cyber-attacks, and internal disturbances.
• “Security” is a much broader category than “defense.” The latter includes only those programs represented under budget function 050 – such as the military activities of the Department of Defense (DoD), the nuclear-weapons related activities of the Department of Energy (DoE) and the National Nuclear Security Administration, the national security activities of several other agencies such as the Selective Service Agency, and portions of the activities of the Coast Guard and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “Non-defense discretionary” includes all those categories other than the ones listed as “defense” spending.

In contrast, the “security” category includes a wider swath of discretionary programs.  The term has been used with various compositions, but the recently-passed Budget Control Act defines it as all of “defense” (function 050) as well as international affairs programs, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and a couple other accounts.  When combined, the categories and programs under “security” cover most military spending, homeland security and international security efforts.

India in September 2016 signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) with France to procure 36 Rafale fighter jets in fly-away condition for €7.8 billion.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 28, 2018 inaugurated the Parakram Parv at the Combined Commanders’ Conference in Jodhpur to mark the second anniversary of the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian army on September 29, 2016.

The sixth edition of ‘SLINEX 2018’, a joint naval exercise between the naval forces of India and Sri Lanka is currently underway in Trincomalee, a major port city of Sri Lanka. The bilateral exercise is being held from September 7-13, 2018.

India on September 20, 2018 successfully test-fired the indigenously developed surface-to-surface, short-range tactical ballistic missile ‘Prahaar’ from the Odisha coast.

BrahMos Supersonic Missile of the Indian Navy successfully took off from the Mormugao Port located in Goa. This projectile hit the target on May 14, 2023 (Sunday). Visakhapatnam Class Destroyer Warship called INS Mormugao was involved in this test firing hosted by the country’s military.

India’s Approach

• India’s defence cooperation is multifaceted and substantial.

:-India’s defence diplomacy covers a wide range of activities including defence dialogues, military exchanges, training, capacity building, information sharing, HADR, staff level talks, defence industrial co-operation, arms trade, peacekeeping, trade fairs, skill development, etc.

• India is also gradually evolving as a security provider for many countries particularly in South Asia, Africa, Indian Ocean, South-East Asia etc.
• India’s SAGAR, neighbourhood first, Act-East policy, doctrines include defence cooperation.

:-Besides the US, other countries also reached out to India for closer defence cooperation e.g. France, Israel, UK, Japan, and Australia even as India’s defence cooperation with Russia continued.

• India has helped Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Maldives, Bhutan, and Nepal in defence capacity building.
• It has a substantial presence in UN Peacekeeping Forces.
• The Indian Navy has been pursuing active collaboration with the leading navies of the world in the Indo-Pacific region.

:-Malabar exercises are an example

• A significant part of India’s defence diplomacy is geared towards enhancing maritime domain awareness to curb illegal activities on the seas like illegal fighting, trafficking of drug and human, maritime pollution etc.
• India holds signature exercises like MILAN regularly.
• India trains several hundred military officers in its military academies and institutions from various countries every year.