Role of Intelligence in National Security

Why in news?

The recent Hamas attack on Israel leading to thousands of deaths has revived the age-long debate on the efficacy of intelligence as a weapon against terrorism.

What is intelligence system?

• An intelligence system in internal security is a system that collects, analyzes, and disseminates information related to threats and risks to the internal security of a country or an organization.
• It involves various sources, methods, tools, and actors that work together to provide timely and accurate intelligence to support decision-making and action-taking by the authorities.

Objectives of intelligence system-

• Prevention- To identify and prevent potential threats before they materialize into actual incidents.
• Detection- To discover and monitor existing or emerging risks that pose a challenge to the internal security.
• Response- To provide timely and relevant information to enable appropriate actions to counter or mitigate the threats.
• Evaluation- To assess and review the performance and impact of the intelligence system.

What are the India’s intelligence agencies?

• Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) - R&AW is the primary foreign intelligence agency of India.
• Its function is gathering foreign intelligence, counter-terrorism, counter-proliferation, advising policymakers, and advancing India's foreign strategic interests.
• It is also involved in the security of India's nuclear programme.
• Intelligence Bureau (IB)- It is the nodal counter-terror agency that works closely with the State police and Central paramilitary forces.
• It also deals with issues such as communal violence, insurgency, separatism, and espionage.

• Specialised agencies-

• National Security Advisor (NSA)- NSA is the chief advisor to the Prime Minister on national security issues.
• He/She receives all intelligence reports from various agencies and presents before the Prime Minister.
• The NSA also serves as the Prime Minister's Special Interlocutor with China as well as the envoy to Pakistan and Israel on security affairs.

How Indian Intelligence system works?

• Counter insurgency- Jawaharlal Nehru’s insistence that the insurgents were ‘our people’ who needed to be reformed and co-opted into the mainstream democratic processes laid the foundation for India’s intelligence doctrine for counter-insurgency.
• IB- It is designated as the nodal agency for deploying soft approaches and winning the heart and mind of the people.
• IB’s greatest contribution has been its individual officers enjoying “high degree of credibility” with insurgent leaders.
• Kautilyan method is adopted by IB in conflict resolution, i.e., persuasion, bribery, and trickery (divide-and-rule).
• R&AW- R&AW’s psychological warfare has twin mandates
  • To establish long-lasting relationships with the Indian diaspora aimed at fostering positive bilateral relations.
  • To monitor and penetrate and manipulate sections within the diaspora that support separatist movements in India

Why India's intelligence require reforms?

• Lack of coordination- The lack of coordination and integration among various intelligence agencies, lead to gaps and overlaps in information sharing and analysis.
• Structural flaws- There has been no broad-based exercise to reform the country’s intelligence apparatus and make it more pro-active with the nation’s internal and external policies.
• Failure of Indian intelligence-
  • Indo-China war 1962- Total ignorance about Chinese intentions and capabilities in Tibet against India.
  • Separatism- The growth of Sikh-separatist sentiments in the early 80s and the volume of the arsenal stockpiled inside the Golden Temple complex before ‘Operation Blue Star.
  • Terrorist attacks- Especially the Mumbai 26/11 attack and 2001 Parliament attack in India.
• Ethical issues- The legal dilemmas associated with the use of new technologies such as facial recognition, biometrics, drones, and lethal autonomous weapons systems.
• Conflict- The balance between ensuring national security and protecting civil liberties and human rights of the citizens.

What did Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) task force recommend?

• Reforms - Reforms should focus on removing the deficiencies within the system, improving coordination between intelligence agencies and ensuring better accountability and oversight.
• Legal framework- The intelligence agencies in India must be provided a legal-framework for their existence and functioning.
• Training- Have open and separate direct recruitment mechanisms for different intelligence agencies by using the existing mechanism of Union Public Service Commission.
• Use deputation slots to induct experts from the military and science & technology streams.
• Upgrade technology- Upgrade offensive as well as defensive capabilities in cyber warfare especially in relation to signals decryption work, and cryptography capabilities.
• Proper communication- Introduce a system of inter-changeability between various intelligence agencies and the connected Ministries of the Government of India.
• Improve coordination- Appoint a National Intelligence Coordinator/Director of National Intelligence to bring about better inter-agency coordination.
• Accountability- Provide for an in camera audit of Secret Service Funds and have a separate intelligence ombudsman for IB, R &AW and National Technical Research Organisation.

References

1. Business Line- Intelligence the whipping boy
2. IDSA- Intelligence Reform
3. Observer Research Foundation-  India’s intelligence culture