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The MEA needs urgent reforms in staffing, structure, and specialization to support India's growing global influence and foreign policy ambitions.

What staffing challenges does the MEA face?

The MEA currently has around 850 Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officers managing foreign policy across 193 embassies and consulates worldwide.

Despite an increase in annual IFS officer intake from 12-14 to 32-35 in recent years, the number is still far from sufficient. For comparison, the U.S. has 14,500 officers, the U.K. has 4,600, and Russia has 4,500.

At the current rate, India would need decades to reach a workforce of 1,500 officers.

How can the staffing issue be addressed?

The MEA should explore lateral hiring and absorb officers from other government services. This could include defence personnel with experience as defence attachés and experts in international relations.

Consultants with specialized expertise could be hired, although these roles should be carefully managed to ensure quality and long-term value.

What structural issues does the MEA face?

The structure is fragmented, especially among its territorial divisions, resulting in inefficiencies. For example, India's close neighbours are divided into four groups, which results in a lack of comprehensive policy formulation and execution.

Crucial nations such as Iran and Turkey are divided in unrelated ways, complicating regional engagement. The divisions must be restructured to improve coordination and efficiency.

Balance between generalist and specialist roles in the IFS

Language skills are crucial for diplomacy, however, it is largely ignored due to the rotational posting system. Officers are trained in one foreign language but are later posted to countries where their linguistic skills are not utilized.

The MEA should post language-trained officers in each embassy and encourage officers to specialize as they progress in their careers.

How should the MEA handle emerging fields like cybersecurity and AI?

As technology plays an increasing role in foreign policy, the MEA must focus on building capacity in specialized fields like cybersecurity, space policy, and artificial intelligence. Expecting all IFS officers to be experts in these complex areas is unrealistic.

The MEA should hire domain specialists who can dedicate their careers to these evolving fields, ensuring that India’s foreign policy remains innovative and relevant.

The MEA has taken steps to adapt by establishing new divisions such as Policy, Planning and Research, and the Centre for Contemporary China Studies.  

Way Forward

The MEA’s reforms will be important to ensure that India not only maintains its current global stature but also takes a leading role in shaping the world order, which aligns India’s foreign policy with the aspirations of becoming a ‘Viksit Bharat.’

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Source: 

The Hindu