BRICS Security Talks Open in India With Non-Traditional Threats in Focus

India is hosting the BRICS National Security Advisers' meeting on 22-23 June 2026, with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval expected to chair discussions that put non-traditional security challenges at the centre of the agenda. The gathering brings senior security officials from member states together at a moment of heightened global uncertainty.

Beyond the conventional security agenda

New Delhi is using its turn as host to broaden the conversation beyond purely military questions. Reports indicate the talks will weigh terrorism, emerging technology risks, cyber threats and regional instability, reflecting a recognition that today's threats often originate outside traditional battlefields.

The framing aligns with India's long-standing push to make counter-terrorism and technology security shared priorities within multilateral forums, rather than issues handled piecemeal by individual states.

A diplomatic layer amid Middle East tensions

Doval also held talks with a senior Iranian security official against the backdrop of rising Middle East tensions, adding a pointed diplomatic dimension to the security agenda. The bilateral contact underlines how regional crises increasingly intersect with the multilateral discussions on the table.

For India, balancing relationships across a volatile neighbourhood while convening a major grouping is a test of its diplomatic dexterity and its claim to be a stabilising voice.

An expanding and more complex BRICS

The BRICS format has expanded considerably in recent years, drawing in new members and making coordination harder even as it grows more relevant for states seeking a multipolar security conversation.

• Counter-terrorism cooperation and intelligence sharing
• Cyber security and protection of critical infrastructure
• Risks from emerging and dual-use technologies
• Supply-chain resilience and economic security
• Managing regional crises and instability

By steering the talks towards technology, supply chains and regional crises rather than only hard military matters, New Delhi is signalling the kind of security cooperation it wants the grouping to pursue. The outcomes of the two-day meeting will be watched closely for any joint commitments on terrorism and cyber threats, the areas where India has pressed hardest for consensus.

The NE Times View

Hosting the BRICS NSAs lets India shape a security agenda beyond Western frameworks, focusing usefully on terrorism, cyber and emerging tech. But the bloc's value is limited by its own fault lines, with members holding sharply divergent views on the very threats they discuss. India's challenge is to extract concrete cooperation on shared dangers without being drawn into anyone else's geopolitical contest.

This article is original commentary and analysis by The NE Times. Background facts were referenced from Indian Express and Times of India.