Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, met with National Security Advisors and senior security officials from BRICS member countries, underscoring the grouping's expanding role in addressing transnational threats in a shifting global order.

Sharing his remarks after the meeting, Modi said he was 'pleased to meet National Security Advisors and senior security officials of BRICS countries,' and stressed that 'in a changing global landscape, BRICS has a vital role in deepening security cooperation and addressing shared challenges, from terrorism and cyber security to emerging technologies.'

Context

BRICS — the intergovernmental grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, expanded in 2024 — has evolved well beyond its origins as an economic coordination forum. NSA-level meetings have emerged as a parallel diplomatic track to annual summits, allowing security establishments to engage on issues that do not always surface in leaders' communiqués.

The meeting comes at a moment when member states are navigating a complex global environment marked by technological disruption, cross-border terrorism, and intensifying competition in cyberspace. Modi's public remarks signal India's intent to keep these issues at the centre of the BRICS agenda.

Policy Backdrop

BRICS was formally constituted in 2009 as a forum for emerging economies seeking a greater voice in global governance. The grouping established a dedicated Counter-Terrorism Working Group in 2015 to facilitate information-sharing and coordinate responses to terrorist threats — an institutional mechanism that has since grown in scope.

India chaired a virtual BRICS Summit in 2021 that reaffirmed collective commitments to action against terrorism and cyber threats. The current NSA-level engagement builds on that lineage, reflecting a broader preference among member states for multipolar institutions capable of delivering strategic autonomy outside Western-led frameworks.

The inclusion of emerging technologies on the security agenda marks a notable expansion. Artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and next-generation communications infrastructure are increasingly viewed by BRICS governments as domains where coordinated norms and safeguards are essential.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary stakeholders are the security establishments of BRICS member states, whose agencies deal daily with terrorism financing, ransomware, disinformation, and the dual-use risks of emerging technologies. Closer coordination at the NSA level can translate into faster intelligence-sharing and more aligned positions at multilateral forums such as the United Nations.

For India specifically, the meeting offers an avenue to press its long-standing demand for a comprehensive global framework against terrorism — a priority that New Delhi has consistently advanced in multilateral settings. Cyber security cooperation also carries direct domestic relevance given the scale of India's digital economy and the frequency of state-linked cyber intrusions targeting critical infrastructure.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to whether the NSA-level discussions produce outcome documents or new working-group mandates ahead of the next full BRICS Summit. Any agreed framework on emerging technologies or a strengthened counter-terrorism protocol would represent a concrete institutional advance beyond existing mechanisms.

Observers will also watch whether the expanded BRICS membership — which now includes countries from the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia — translates into broader participation in security-track discussions, potentially amplifying the grouping's collective weight on global security governance.