A recent event in London has raised eyebrows. There was a joint open briefing by the heads of the CIA of the US and MI6 of the UK, on the global security situation at the Weekend Festival organised by the Financial Times.

It was unusual because seldom do serving top intelligence officers go public with their views on security matters.

This exercise could have possibly been at the instance of their political bosses. In the past intelligence officials were told to keep a low profile and contact with the media was almost prohibited.

In all my experience with government for decades I had never seen such a candid sharing of views by security leaders in public on a sensitive subject. In the 1970s when I cut my teeth in the trade we were advised sternly to adhere to a low profile and be discreet in private conversations about matters of public importance. Contacts with the media were nearly totally prohibited, unless an officer could convince his superior that he was collecting intelligence and not purveying any classified information while talking to anybody from the press. In sum, it was orthodoxy that ruled the business!

Easing contacts

This rigidity has somewhat eased in the recent past. Even then, what we saw in London was extraordinary and without parallel. It was certainly aimed at confidence building among allies and sending a message to Vladimir Putin that the West was united in countering aggression from Moscow.

A further objective could be to assure allies that they could bank upon the US and the UK for support in any eventuality.

The two officials did discuss Ukraine and West Asia. Their views expectedly echoed the West’s stand on these vital issues and painted a grave picture of the security threat to most parts of the globe.

It was obvious that their intended audience was the opinion builders in the West. The press briefing was perhaps an effort to counter the growing dissent in the US and the UK to their official actions.

While commending Ukraine for its daring incursion recently into Russia, the two chiefs warned against complacence. They seemed to believe that Russia would hit back at an opportune time.

This is why in their view the situation remained dangerous. Also, Putin would not stop with countering Ukraine operations, but actually try to expand the theatre of conflict.

Added to this, there was evidence of Russian misadventure and sabotage in Europe with the help of its operatives and common criminals.

China factor

CIA and MI6 were not oblivious either to the growing might of China. In their estimate President Xi Jinping had huge ambitions not only to consolidate his own position but to expand his country’s borders. Acknowledging the cosy relationship lately between Russia and China, the two chiefs called for united action between agencies in the West.

They highlighted the need for an active exchange of information.

It is against this backdrop that one has to view the latest Russian action to expel six UK diplomats from Moscow on grounds of spying.

Apart from being an indicator of the mutual mistrust that exists between the West and countries which owe allegiance to Putin, there is everything here to suggest that spying will be the order of the day.

Lessons for India

What is the lesson here for India which is facing aggression both in the North-East and North-West?

There are frequent skirmishes in both sectors.

Can we be smug about the fact that there has been no major aggression after the 2008 attack in Mumbai? We must note that we have had occasional unearthing of espionage networks, a fact which heightens the need for continuous alert.

How much help have Indian intelligence agencies received here from foreign outfits? It is very difficult to estimate because of the highly confidential nature of the relationship between intelligence agencies.

The CIA-MI6 ties are an exception.

We have shed our earlier conservatism and become open-minded and positive about strengthening mutual exchanges.

Our relationship with Israel is one example of this pragmatism which is essential to learning in a crafty and complicated trade such as intelligence.

The writer is a former CBI Director and a former High Commissioner of India to Cyprus