Lessons From 1971: National Security is More Than Just Military Power

Lt General Auroa of Indian Army and Lt General Niazi of Pakistan army signing the instrument of surrender.

(Photo Courtesy: Facebook/The India Archives)

Fifty four years ago, on 16 December 1971, Pakistan lost the war and signed the instrument of surrender. It was an unparalleled victory. The Indian Armed Forces took less than a fortnight to defeat the Pakistani military, and bring about the surrender of 93,000 Pakistani soldiers.

The professionalism, patriotism, dedication, determination, resolve, and courage of the Armed Forces stood out. There were many hidden factors behind this victory, leadership at all levels, politico-military coordination, diplomacy, intelligence, the Central Armed Police Forces, particularly the Border Security Force, the Railways, and the role played by the Mukti Bahini. 

The unparalleled bravery of the Indian Armed Forces has never been in doubt, but an account by Sydney Schanberg, the Pulitzer-winning American journalist, as published by The New York Times post the War, is a great tribute. This is what he wrote:

“I don’t like sitting around praising armies. I don’t like armies because armies mean wars. But this (Indian) army was something. They were great all the way.” 

An analysis of the Indian response through 1971 reveals that many minds were working together in complete harmony. Diplomatic efforts and the military preparations were undertaken simultaneously. Checkmating the United States, and holding the Chinese was a result of a coordinated national security approach.

War Is a National Effort

As per General VN Sharma, the former Army Chief, one of the ‘Great Lessons’ from the Indo-Pak war in 1971 is that fighting a war is not just a military affair, but a ‘Total Affair’ that includes politics and diplomacy. He has emphasised that war is not merely a military endeavour but a comprehensive national effort that seamlessly integrates various government departments and agencies.

Today and in the future, combat is no longer confined to the traditional domains but is steadily expanding to newer domains such as cyber, space, the electromagnetic spectrum, and the digital space.

Further, with the expanding scope of the canvas of national security, the Armed Forces are not equipped to meet with all the challenges and threats by themselves; hence it is now imperative to look at a whole of government approach towards national security.  

National Security

For most, national security is strictly a matter of military power, capability, and readiness, but clearly defining national security in a context of conventional military warfare is passe. The canvas includes economic security, socio- political security, energy security, homeland security, cybersecurity, human development security, environmental security and much more.

Today, apart from the traditional territorial threats and hard power, soft power, climate change, ransomware, critical minerals to artificial intelligence, and social media, everything can be termed as national security. It is true that economic globalisation and rapid technological changes have increased the number of unconventional threats.

However, while new threats are being added to the realm of national security, the old ones remain. Expansion and not contraction of national security issues is more the rule than the exception. 

In India’s case, problems regarding territorial threats that have not been resolved are like dormant but live volcanoes, where no one can predict the next eruption. Such urgent national security priorities result in not only demanding attention, but also resources.  

In theory, national security should be easy to define. Any threat that directly, or even indirectly challenges the sovereignty or territorial integrity of a nation, constitutes a valid national security concern. But there are other threats do as well, including internal security challenges. A steady expansion of qualifying concerns includes energy security, food security, nuclear proliferation, drug trafficking, terrorism, cyberattacks, protection of citizens abroad and foreign markets among many others.  In fact, COVID even added pandemic protection to the list.  Threats to infrastructure, energy supplies, vulnerable economic infrastructure can also pose national security concerns; as can climate change. 

Militaries used to focus only on the threats from land, sea, and air, but today, cyberspace, space and the cognitive domain have become complex terrains of conflict. In fact, it is the multi-domain threat that is now the concern which is uppermost.

The geopolitical landscape is also changing rapidly with the international system being rewritten by contesting power centres, technological disruptions and shifting alliances. New domains of competition - cyber, space, information and cognitive warfare are blurring the lines between peace and conflict.

Shiv Shankar Menon, former national security advisor, while delivering the Air Chief Marshal PC Lal Memorial Lecture in 2012, stated, “Our definition of security has gradually expanded over time - from the defence of our territory to include providing the necessities for our existence and growth, such as energy and water, and to larger issues of global and regional security. We now speak of traditional and nontraditional security challenges.”

In other words, national security cannot only be assessed from political and militaristic frameworks.  The fact is that national security must consider and reinforce a nation’s values to appropriately prioritise threats and interests.

The Whole of Nation Approach

A “whole-of-nation” approach to national security involves multiple government departments, both military and civilian, working across boundaries, ensuring coordination and cooperation to achieve shared goals and an integrated government response in security-related matters. 

Such an approach is essential to study the challenges and threats to national security, in a comprehensive manner.  This holistic approach to national security is imperative if India is to meet today’s challenges comprehensively. 

The national security structure needs to operate as a system rather than a collection of separate compartments. A whole of nation approach to planning, programming, and budgeting national security is a concept that establishes a unified effort between inter-governmental agencies to maximise all available resources.  

The convergence of military and civilian resources and systems for maximising a nation’s ability to express its comprehensive national power, both during war and peacetime, is imperative. Cementing the symbiotic relationship between economic, human, and traditional security is an imperative for a nation’s long-term development.

No wonder the External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, during his address at the Army Commanders Conference in October 2024, urged that a more ‘whole of the Government’ approach is needed to effectively advance national security.

Operation Sindoor

In an age of multi-domain warfare, India’s national security architecture has demonstrated the strength of jointness and strategic foresight during Operation Sindoor, which was initiated on 7 May 2025, in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. It showcased a calibrated, tri-services response that embodied precision, professionalism, and purpose.

Operation Sindoor successfully achieved its military objectives in under four days. A key highlight of the operation was the clear articulation of both national and military objectives, complemented by seamless coordination among the Services and effective civil-military integration. 

While speaking at the Chankya Defence Dialogue, President Droupadi Murmu stated that ‘the recent success of Operation Sindoor stands as a defining moment in our counter-terror and deterrence strategy. The world took note not only of India’s military capability but of India’s moral clarity to act firmly, yet responsibly in the pursuit of peace.’

The above underscores that India’s national security is anchored not just in military strength but in the seamless integration of political will, strategic foresight, and joint operational capability. The example of Operation Sindoor illustrates how multi-domain warfare demands synergised responses, combining the strengths of all three Services with civil-military coordination. 

But future conflicts will have a greater infusion of technology and artificial intelligence and would be increasingly fought in the digital and shadowy grey zones of cyberspace, space, and cognitive domains. They would need an integrated ‘Whole-of-Nation’ approach with even greater Civilian Military Fusion for ensuring success.

Why Military Strength Alone Is Not Enough

The Indian Armed Forces do not need to prove their loyalty. Our Armed Forces must become the first choice of every educated, able-bodied Indian. We require the best brain and brawn to serve the nation. Only in the hands of such future generations of soldiers, will India be secure. This is not the time to try new recruitment schemes; it may be more advisable to continue with time tested measures that have always delivered.

Will there be no more Pahalgam(s) or Galwan(s)? Can any bureaucrat or diplomat guarantee that there will be no war? What if Operation Sindoor had carried on for another few days, or weeks, or months? In the prevailing security environment with two hostile neighbours in concert, India needs to put everything aside and concentrate on building hard power.

All bureaucratic encumbrances, procedures, road blocks need to be put aside, along with the L-1. We need to make or buy our requirements on a war footing. Every politician, bureaucrat, diplomat, general, admiral, air marshal and others, need to work together for the common cause. The time has come when India needs to act, and every Indian must play their part. That is the need of the hour.

For India, it is application of the whole of nation approach, that needs to be ensured. It is not enough to have strong, well equipped defence forces, it is the resolve to use them expeditiously, when the time comes, that will define National Security.

National Security Begins at Home

One of the most effective ways to encourage coordination and collaboration in implementing a whole-of-government approach is to bring representatives from interagency entities together for realistic training with their military counterparts before they are forced to work together in times of conflict. Only with greater engagement in peace will military and civilian personnel, work seamlessly with each other in times of cascading and unpredictable crises.

It is often that manifesting problems are brushed aside or under the carpet, to bide time and leave it to the next incumbent to tackle. We need to learn from the lessons, and work as a nation. There is no room for one one-upmanship. Allow the domain experts decide what is best for the nation. And do not become domain experts when you are not.

However, the problems are not only on the outside, they equally inside too. Our civil society is becoming increasingly unruly in every aspect. There is as much traffic flowing from the wrong side, as on the right. Breaking rules and red lights is the norm. There is more garbage along the roads and railway tracks, than there is grass. The rivers are polluted and the banks are littered. It is hard to imagine a street without smells and plastic dumps. We need to learn how a civilised society lives; we need to know that elders and women need to be respected and protected. So, just to repeat, India needs to act, and every Indian must play their part. That is the need of the hour.

The path forward will require collaboration among government, civil society, academia, and the private sector to foster a holistic approach. As India continues to evolve in a rapidly changing global landscape, a commitment to these key components will ensure not only national security but also a brighter future and peace and prosperity for all its people.

The fact is that the dynamics that imperil national security today will not disappear rather, new challenges will appear. India is living through one of the most defining moments in its history, and how it navigates this period will determine its long-term national goals. There thus needs to be a collaborative effort to devise collective solutions. This may be the only way to meet the predictable and unpredictable threats confronting the nation. The lessons of 1971 should be our guiding light.

(The authors are retired Major Generals of the Indian Army. This is an opinion piece, and the views expressed are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)