The Constitution of India provides that it shall be the duty of the Union to protect the states against internal disturbance and external aggression, and the states shall be responsible for maintaining police forces and securing public order. A large country, with nearly 23,000 km. of land and sea borders, India faces a host of internal, external and varied other serious security challenges. The contributors to this volume, almost all of whom are respected veterans of our three Defence Services have, on the basis of their long experiences, highlighted their concerns and pointed to the way forward.