At every Defence Expo, the biggest global manufacturers of military platforms showcase products that they hope India’s armed forces would acquire, at least some of them, as India still ranks among the top defence buyers in the world. But this isn’t going to be the case, if the Modi government’s aim to make India a leading defence producer and an exporter over the next five years, materialises.
Expo et al
While, on the face of it, this appears a rather tall order, even though many steps are being taken in that direction. This includes the establishment of a Defence Planning Committee (DPC), with a cross ministry mandate. The DPC is expected to provide the Defence Minister with specific inputs with the short list to hasten quicken the process of approvals for defence acquisitions, since the DPC is made up of service brass hats – including the CDS – and senior bureaucrats from the defence, foreign and finance ministries. The effect of the DPC has been seen in a string of major approvals by the MoD.
Ideally, India should have 25% each of the latest war fighting machines, and another 50% of not so old weapon systems, and another 25% of its platforms ready to be phased out. But this is easier said than done.
Apparently, this committee (DPC) was set up as the existing set up – with each Service lobbying for their immediate needs – left the Ministry of Defence with a long ‘wish list’ which was impossible to address entirely, and thus there were meetings and sometimes debates, with no clear idea on what ‘must’ be purchased and what ‘could’ be also considered. Inter-service rivalries were only visible to any observer, and it left the bureaucrats in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Finance Ministry unable to allocate the funds for Defence modernisation.
This left those hopeful exhibitors at Def-Expo frustrated, and India’s vast military machine has had to continue with their old stock of vintage platforms. Ideally, India should have 25% each of the latest war fighting machines, and another 50% of not so old weapon systems, and another 25% of its platforms ready to be phased out. But this is easier said than done. This should be a priority area of attention for the new CDS, General Chauhan. Having worked with the NSA, Mr Doval, the new CDS should be able to deliver on this front.
There’s no doubt that India has so many challenges – the army’s Northern Command is itself fighting three enemies in four operational areas – while the IAF and the Indian navy remain alert to counter escalation, there is a need for equipping our soldiers for blood and guts soldiering. We can’t make the mistakes that the US and Russia made.
Defence problems and more
The problem areas are twofold, though. For one, India’s defence acquisition process is a long and tedious one, that often leaves the defence suppliers exasperated. It is even more complicated as there isn’t a combined services war fighting doctrine – at least in the public domain – that could allow the OEMs to know of ‘what now, and what next’ in military acquisitions. The other is to do a realistic appraisal of what sort of wars would India fight in the coming decade.
What the US failure in Afghanistan and now Russia’s mess in Ukraine has shown, that hi-tech weapons don’t deliver much against a determined resistance by your enemy. More so, there’s no doubt that India has so many challenges – the army’s Northern Command is itself fighting three enemies in four operational areas – while the IAF and the Indian navy remain alert to counter escalation, there is a need for equipping our soldiers for blood and guts soldiering. We can’t make the mistakes that the US and Russia made.
The products they require aren’t pushed by the big-ticket arms manufacturers and most of it can be made at home. In fact, the DRDO itself has an inventory of over a thousand small items that could be given for use to India’s services as well as exported to countries in Asia and Africa. And when made in India products are pushed into markets abroad, the buyers often ask, ‘do India’s armed forces use this item?’. And the answer is often ‘no’.
One reason all the P-5 countries are able to sell their stuff to other countries like India, is by certifying that their armed forces are using the product they are keen that we must buy. A certificate to this effect by the manufacturing country is often the basis of the ‘FMS’ Government to Government purchases by India, like the Rafale fighter jet deal.
