The mismatch between what the defence force demands and the actual allocations made stands as the major barrier restricting modernisation and as well as current operational readiness of the force. What should be done to resolve this contradiction? (200 words)
Refer – The Hindu
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 7 years
KEY POINTS
· India was the largest arms importer in the world and its defence budget has now overtaken that of the U.K. to become the fifth largest in the world.
· Despite this, the current capital allocation is insufficient even to cater for “committed liabilities”, which are payments for equipment under contractual obligation.
Why it is a cause of concern?
· 68% of the Army’s equipment is under the ‘vintage’ category and the situation is unlikely to improve in the near future with such shortage of funds.
· Equally worrying is the adverse impact on infrastructure development and strategic roads where there is a severe paucity of funds.
· An insufficient defence budget impacts not only modernisation but also the current operational readiness of the force.
· Reduction in revenue allocation means cutting down on training requirements and routine replacement of items like surveillance and protective equipment.
What needs to be done?
From the government side
· The government should order a comprehensive strategic review of the future threats to India.
· This will provide a clear picture to the political leadership, and also directions to the military on its doctrine and force structures.
· A long-term capability development plan can then be prepared by the military and approved by the government. This will form the basis for the defence budget.
From the military side
· The military also must understand the realities of India’s finances and look to reconstruct itself.
· Focus on quality – Military capability is not all about money.
· Military effectiveness is the outcome of the resources provided to the military and its capability to transform these resources into effective war fighting capability.
· The military must stop talking in terms of numbers, of squadrons, ships and divisions, and focus on capability.
· It will force us to search for the new technologies such as robotics, autonomous systems and artificial intelligence to enhance our military capability.
· Integration to improve efficiency – There is a crying need to move towards greater integration among the three services and with the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
· The luxury of each service running its own training, administrative and logistics system is no longer affordable.
· The MoD, staffed entirely by civilians, seems oblivious to defence requirements and follows a procurement process which appears completely broken.
