NEW DELHI: National Security Guard (NSG), the country’s elite counter-terrorism force, on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with various state and union territory police forces, to lay the foundation for first-of-a-kind standard operating procedure (SOP) for counter-terror coordination, first responder interoperability and institutionalised joint training sessions for personnel.Stating that the MoU embodies India’s resolve to evolve from fragmented action to a synchronised national response to terror, “integrating both kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities through a calibrated, interoperable structure,” NSG at a counter-terror international seminar being hosted by it with the theme ‘Forging Collaboration and Innovation to Counter Terror Threats and Address the Complexities of Modern Terrorism’, announced the embedding of its tactical modules – for close quarter combat and multi-threat hostage rescue – into the state/UT-level operational frameworks.“In an era where lone-wolf radicalisation, grey zone warfare, and asymmetric attacks dominate the threat matrix, rapid knowledge-to-kinetic transformation becomes essential. By anchoring capacity-building under Mission Karmayogi, India is fortifying a counter-terror force that is both agile and adaptable,” NSG said in a statement on Tuesday. Inaugurating the seminar on Tuesday, junior home minister Nityanand Rai said terrorism should be recognised as a universal threat, regardless of where it strikes – India, Israel, the United States or Europe. “Countries must come together, share intelligence and expose the motives and mechanisms of terrorists to dismantle their networks effectively,” he said while addressing foreign delegates representing 17 countries including the US, Russia, Japan, Israel, Germany and Indonesia.The seminar is structured around five high-impact panels, themed on counter-terror (CT) lessons from international case studies, CT threats to the nation and response strategy, NSG-States synergy and SOP for national CT mechanism, leveraging technologies for CT operations and technology-enabled counter-IED operations.NSG’s National Bomb Disposal Centre (NBDC) launched the 35th edition of the force’s flagship journal, which offers a field-tested guide for modern IED mitigation, at the seminar. Sources said the dedicated sessions on drone threats and counter-UAV innovations during the event will explore measures to counter drone-borne IEDs, low-cost UAV tactics, and India- specific anti-drone doctrines.