The Silent Enemy by Arvind Gupta and Rajesh Singh begins with a simple but firm assertion: “Strong militaries alone are not enough to secure a nation.” The authors argue that India is vulnerable to a wide range of non-traditional threats that shape its national security. These include demography, climate change, terrorism by non-state actors, technology, food, water, health, energy, and economic insecurities. They call these the “silent enemies” that can weaken a country from within if left unaddressed.
The book takes up these issues thematically and places them within an Indian and global context. The chapter on climate change discusses its impact on development and defence and notes how India’s geography—with its coastline, Himalayan region, and long borders with China and Pakistan—links its security closely with environmental change. Demography is examined for its social and economic implications, particularly in providing employment for a large and youthful population.
Technology, education, and innovation are treated as essential elements of security. The authors stress the need to expand India’s science and research base, strengthen education and upskilling, and build national capabilities in key technological areas. The discussion on organised crime covers the connections between arms, drugs, trafficking, and cybercrime and underlines the need for wider international cooperation to tackle these transnational networks.
Economic and financial stability are identified as central to national security. The book points to the risks of sanctions, trade restrictions, and debt pressures, urging stronger financial systems and greater accountability. Food, water, and health are treated together as fundamental to national well-being. Drawing on India’s encounters with famine, disease, and the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors show how these areas directly affect the security and resilience of the nation.
Energy and environmental sustainability receive detailed attention. The book highlights India’s efforts toward clean energy, the complexity of decarbonisation, and the importance of secure access to critical resources. It also stresses that culture and civilisational values, including Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world as one family) and the Lifestyle for Environment initiative, are integral to India’s approach to global cooperation. The authors discuss the growing challenge of disinformation and narrative warfare and call for coordinated efforts by the government, media, and civil society to counter false narratives.
The concluding annexure examines Operation Sindoor, India’s recent counterterrorism operation, to show how new technologies and multi-domain strategies are reshaping security thinking. The book ends with a clear appeal for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to integrate traditional and non-traditional concerns. Its final message is unequivocal: ignoring non-traditional security challenges is not an option anymore.