The security environment around India is set for major upheavals with an aggressive China targeting India, and Pakistan remaining a constant threat. Caught in between is the turmoil in Afghanistan where Indian interests need be closely guarded. Considering the way issues are getting bigger, as in Bhutan’s Doklam area, the threat to India’s national security is high and there’s immediate need to keep our powder dry.
In a recent report tabled in Parliament, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has brought to notice that in case of a war situation, India would be able to, at best, manage 10 days as far as ammunition and war supplies go. India has the third largest army in the world and is supposedly one of the world’s top defence spenders and among the largest importers of defence equipment. The lion’s share of taxpayers’ money goes into defence.
The ground reality, however, is very different. Bulk of our defence ammunition is outdated or in short supply. On the other hand, the army seems to be demoralised. Opposition from locals in Kashmir, constant terror attacks and threats at the Pakistan border, compromised quality of equipment and even food supplies and offensive behaviour of senior officials have made the ordinary jawans anything but confident.
About 70 per cent of India’s defence equipment is imported from foreign countries, be it from Russia, the US, or from Israel through not-so-transparent channels. Some 30 per cent of the defence budget is spent on capital acquisitions, and hefty sums are involved. Officials say India aims to attract investments of Rs35,000 crore in this sector in the next five years. As of now, according to the CAG report, most investment seems to have vanished into thin air.
It is also surprising that there has been little effort so far to make a mark in defence production. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is at it for many years, but in a minor insignificant way, seen in the overall context of defence requirements. There are some success stories from India, too, like the HAL Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, the composite Sonar dome, the heavyweight Torpedo Varunastra that is manufactured with locally sourced parts and the medium-range surface to air missiles, the MSRAM. Together, however, they do not add up to even a minor foray.
Pitiably, even in the matter of spare parts, the dependence on imports is heavy. Some 60 per cent of the spares and components are coming in from abroad — the expenses being of the order of Rs10,000 crore annually. Problem is also that procurements from other countries, such as Russia, take time, and there is the red tape and delay. The result is several of the military equipment are in disuse despite spending hefty amounts for their acquisition.
A sudden confrontation cannot be ruled out in the current scenario. If such a situation comes up, the military will be severely handicapped and India will come to its knees in a matter of a few days. The complacence on the part of India to make a major mark in defence production has largely to do with the commission raj plaguing defence purchases from foreign nations. Hefty commissions are built into defence purchases; and where the money ends up is anybody’s guess. Decades of investigations into Bofors guns deal have not taken the nation to any logical conclusion. A more recent expose was the VVIP helicopter scam, the investigations into which are progressing, with little to believe it’s a work in progress.
India’s aspirations to a higher global status remains a joke as it does not even stand counted as a regional power. No matter how the Modi government defends or twists the CAG report, national security is now openly at stake. With a Prime Minister who chooses to stay mum on sensitive issues such as national security and a Defence Minister who is burdened by an important portfolio such as Finance, the nation indeed wants to know who will save the day.