He was addressing the country's top military commanders from the army, navy, air force and coast guard during their combined conference.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday flagged nuclear security and proliferation in South Asia as "a serious threat".
He was addressing the country's top military commanders from the army, navy, air force and coast guard here during their combined conference.
"Nuclear proliferation and nuclear security remain a serious threat in our neighbourhood," he told the commanders, and also highlighted that cyber threats as "emerging as a major source of worry".
However, he did not mention Pakistan, which is the other nuclear-weapon state in the region, along with India.
Despite serious conflicts, particularly after the the December 2001 terror attack on parliament and the November 2008 mayhem in Mumbai, the two sides have not crossed nuclear threshold. However, Pakistan's proliferation record is suspect and has come under adverse notice globally.
The two sides are said to be holding close to 100 nuclear warheads each, as per the Stockholm-based SIPRI.
"Broadly speaking, the international strategic and political environment has deteriorated from our point of view. The policies we adopt, whether internally or externally, must factor this in," the prime minister added.
Manmohan Singh said India had a long history in fighting terrorism, but "today terrorist groups are highly networked, nimble footed and more lethal".
"This calls for appropriate responses. Cyber threats are emerging as a major source of worry. Cyber and information warfare could qualitatively change the concept of a battlefield," he added.
The prime minister also called upon the armed forces to focus more on maritime security, and on securing the coastline, the exclusive economic zone, the island territories and the sea lanes of communication.
Internally, he said, India should work assiduously to address problems in the northeast and deal with left-wing extremism in a comprehensive manner.
"We have to be sensitive to the needs of the weaker sections of society and ensure that the fruits of our progress reach them.
"Issues relating to the use of scarce resources such as land and water and strengthening institutions of governance require much closer attention than they had received in the past," Manmohan Singh added.
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