At a session on ‘Threats and challenges to national security’ Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (retd) and Nitin Gokhale, who has been a defence reporter for over quarter of a century now, shared their ideas on the challenges to our national security. Brig Kanwal cited instances from various military challenges and how things that were militarily impossible were made possible through leadership.

Gokhale on the other hand, gave a whole new perspective to national security, stating that apart from the threats to our borders, there are several other problems of those of non-traditional threats, internal combustion like caste, creed and naxalism, which is a major concern. “Many of us equate national security with the three armed forces. But national security is more than that. There are important questions like is the nation progressive enough, is the nation on a path that will give equality to all… When we talk of national security, it just doesn’t mean that a nation has to be secured on its borders, it has to be secured in terms of its gender equality, environment, non-traditional threats to national security in terms of caste discrimination, discrimination on the basis of religion. These have to be eliminated and only then the nation will be secured,” he said. Gokhale, who has been kidnapped twice by the militants, has covered the north-east largely and said the experiences on conflict in the region have been immense. He said that the north-east needs special attention. He also emphasised that the times are troubled and we need to do more to secure our nation. “We live in times which are insecure and we are a nation which is surrounded by insecure regions,” he said. Gokhale stumbled into journalism, he got selected in air force and then IIM-Ahmedabad. But before the results could come out he was already into journalism and since then has been into the profession about which he is very passionate. “Journalism keeps me alive every minute of the life I live,” he added. Addressing the participants, he said that as future leaders, the youth of the nation can do their bit towards national security. He pointed out that one can either join the forces or paramilitary troops, can either go for research by joining RAW, could become scholars in international relations or join the media and report what’s happening. The session also brought to light the significance of territorial armed forces, how the infantries can be deployed to play a larger role to combat urban terrorism.