In recent years, India has asserted its desire not simply to be a balancing power but to become a leading power on the world stage. As India's economic development has steadily progressed, so too have its foreign policy and security ambitions. However, India's ability to sustain high rates of economic growth at home and project power overseas rests on unsteady state capacities. Despite widespread concerns over the severe institutional constraints that India faces, there is a lack of scholarly research on the administrative and organizational effectiveness of India's security institutions.