External intelligence agency and Intelligence Bureau form the first arm of offence and defence, says former RAW chief

Published - August 30, 2026 01:30 am IST - CHENNAI

Vikram Sood, former secretary, Research and Analysis Wing and C. Balasubramanian, senior advisor, Deccan Centre for International Affairs, seen in conversation at an event in Chennai on Saturday. | Photo Credit: M. SRINATH

Former secretary of the Research and Analysis Wing Vikram Sood, on Saturday, said the External intelligence agency and the Intelligence Bureau have to work together as they form India’s first arm of offence and defence respectively.

Speaking in Chennai at an event organised by Chennai International Centre and Deccan Centre for International Affairs on the topic: “Covert Wars and Great Power Games”, Mr. Sood, in a conversation with C. Balasubramanian, said, “the external intelligence (agency) is the first arm of offence and the Intelligence Bureau is the first arm of your defence in geopolitics. The two have to work together. That apart, the world is spinning so fast and the events are happening so fast…its quality, its depth, disinformation…all that is being thrown at your table and am sure our men have found ways of going around them.”

Mr. Sood, who is the author of “The Unending Game: A Former R&AW chief’s insights into espionage”, “The Ultimate Goal: A Former R&AW Chief Deconstructs How Nations Construct Narratives” and “Great Power Games: From Western Decline to Eastern Ascent”, said the United States of America believed that they could finish the job in Iran in a matter of days.

“But the Iranians have been preparing, they knew this is going to happen, and after what they did in the Balkans in the nineties, after what they did to Iraq (George Bush's time), they knew that this is going to be a ruthless attack on them,” he said.

On what Pakistan could do, Mr. Sood said that they may be planning another attack, but the Saudis and the Turks won’t get involved in the conflict.

“This is a local tie up in the middle east to keep Iran down….to tell Donald Trump that we are going to look after our own security and we don’t want to buy anything from you,” he said.

He further added, “To say that America [the U.S.] has always fought for democracies is wrong. They have not. They have fought for national interests. And at one stage, they had sixty five autocratic countries, non-democratic countries supporting them, fighting for democracy.”

Published - August 30, 2026 01:30 am IST

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