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Vohra: Need to form national security doctrine
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 6
Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra today stressed the need for a national security doctrine to ensure speedy production by defence public sector undertakings and cohesiveness in operations of three Services.

Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra (left) at the National Security Lecture-2013 on Civil-Military Relations: Opportunities and Challenges, in New Delhi on Friday. Photo: Mukesh Agarwal

Vohra, who was Defence Secretary and Home Secretary during the PV Narismha Rao Government (1991 to 1996), was delivering the National Security Lecture-2013 on Civil-Military Relations: Opportunities and Challenges, organised by the United Service Institution of India, here today. Former Army Chief General Shankar Roychowdhury chaired the lecture.

Calling on all three Services to shed reservations and establish meaningful cohesiveness, Vohra said: "Any delay in the finalisation of the joint doctrine covering all aspects of integrated operations would come in the way of the Armed Forces preparing themselves for delivering an effective response when an emergency arises".

A separate national security doctrine, said Vohra, should form the basis of which integrated threat assessments could be made. The Defence Ministry must ensure that the ordinance factories, defence PSUs, DRDO establishments and others deliver on time. "Prolonged delays cause serious difficulties for the Armed Forces and large economic losses as the lack of certainty about supplies from indigenous sources compels expensive imports", he said while citing how during the 1999 Kargil conflict with Pakistan, India resorted to imports.

He also touched upon the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), saying that the force is duty bound to ensure people’s civil rights are protected, it is equally necessary for the Centre and the affected states to collectively evolve an acceptable approach which ensures that the personnel of the military formations are provided the requisite legal protection.

Without naming former Army Chief General VK Singh, Vohra said needless controversies had marred the Army's glorious image.