Fighting Terror With Corporate Sector

Given the corporate sector’s presence in almost every sphere of India’s economy and in particular its increasing presence in the critical infrastructure and information technology sectors, there needs to be a revised and updated relationship between the government and the corporate sector in respect of meeting internal security challenges, argues.

- Sanjay Badri-Maharaj

As India continues to face a sustained terror threat from a combination of State-sponsored and ideologically-motivated entities, the resources of the government, whether in respect of intelligence, physical protection of facilities or post-attack recovery, are stretched to meet the challenges currently faced by India. In order to maximise India’s ability to prevent, deter and if necessary minimise the effects of terror attacks, it is necessary that the corporate sector emerge as a strong partner in efforts to improve India’s internal security. In part, this will require a heightened degree of social consciousness but also a recognition that their own commercial interests will be best served by becoming partners in this effort.

The spectrum of threats faced by India’s corporate and government sectors are largely identical. These can run the full gamut from physical attacks on personnel and facilities using firearms and explosives or acts of sabotage aimed at creating a mass casualty event to more sophisticated cyber attacks aimed at disrupting critical infrastructure and perhaps even a non-nuclear electromagnetic pulse aimed at maximizing economic damage and disruption. To these must be added the spectre of attacks using weapons of mass destruction encompassing chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons which have yet to be experienced.

The current situation