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Navy - Submarines, frigates and destroyers, naval advance jet trainers, carrier operated fighter aircraft, networking of weapons and platforms, medium range maritime surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, UAV
Air Force - Basic, Intermediate and Advance Trainer Aircraft, Fighters, Helicopters, Replacement of obsolete radars, Anti Aircraft Missiles, Upgradation of air defence environment, Replacement and Augmentation of Transport Fleet, Upgaradation of Fighter Aircraft, Development of Air Field in forward Areas, Upgradation of Navigational Aids, Precision Guided Munitions, UAVs.
Army- Light Artillery Guns, Night Vision devices for Armoured Corps, Modernisation of Special Forces, Light Tanks, Air Defence Weapon System, medium and light weight Helicopters, UAV
Military and geopolitical imperatives are changing at a rapid pace in the region. But India’s defence planning machinery continues to be slothful, if not completely dysfunctional. As a result, for the past six years, a significant portion of the funds allocated in the annual Union Budget for defence technology upgrades has remained unutilised.
In the latest Union Budget, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has made provisions to the tune of Rs 1, 47, 344 crores for the defence sector. Of this amount, Rs 60,000 crores is meant as Capital allocation for procurement, modernisation and land acquisition, among other exercises that are crucial for the growth of the defence forces. Chances are that a part of this amount will be returned to the national exchequer by the end of the fiscal year. In fiscal 2009-2010, when the total outlay was Rs 1,41,703, of which the Capital allocation was nearly Rs 55,000 crores, the defence establishment had surrendered Rs 5539 crores.
Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Kapil Kak, additional director of the Centre for Air Power Studies, attributes this tendency to return a significant percentage of the Capital allocation to the complete indifference among the defence top brass to planning and strategy.
The repercussions of this dangerous drift are being felt on the ground. The number of air squadrons has dwindled to 30. The firepower of Indian artillery, too, has diminished appreciably. The Indian forces have seen no addition of guns since 1984. The armoured corps is grappling with the lack of night-vision equipment. The Indian Navy is facing prospects of the strength of its submarine arm dropping to just ten vessels.
The Revenue allocation for defence, which is always appreciably larger than the Capital outlay, takes care mainly of recurring expenditures like salary disbursals, transport cost and maintenance of existing facilities. The Revenue provision in the current Union Budget is Rs 87, 377 crores. The annual increase in the defence outlay is actually negated by inflation. So even when the government announces that it is pushing up its defence budget, it does not amount to much. And when the sum that is returned is factored into the equation, the scenario can only become more worrisome.
Indeed, the amount being surrendered from the Capital outlay year after year is causing great concern among defence analysts. It boils down to lack of planning, inept management and a failure to keep track of what is happening in the neighbourhood.
The United States is arming Pakistan with state-of-the-art weaponry and platforms like modern F-16s and guided munitions. It has left India behind in missile technology with help from China. China, on the other hand, has started its own production of fighter aircraft and has been steadily improving its nuclear submarine arm and missile technology. In contrast, Indian defence planners are in the grip of severe myopia when it comes to steering the national security apparatus towards consistent improvement. Defence and strategy analyst K. Subrahmanyam says, “The defence planning mechanism in India has been erratic. It takes us 10 to 12 years to make up our minds about the type of aircraft we should buy.” Subrahmanyam points towards another crucial shortcoming that is taking its toll on the defence planning set-up. “In all other countries, the Chiefs of Staff are an integral part of the planning process whereas in India they are busy dealing only with day-to-day affairs,” he says.
As India dilly-dallies on defence acquisitions, the cost of equipment and armament escalates. India is compelled to purchase most of its weaponry from the international market because the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which was set up 52 years ago, does not have a particularly impressive track record.
AVM Kak is of the view that the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) should play an active role in assessing the national security environment. He says, “It was NSAB which developed the Nuclear Doctrine. We should task it to come up with a Defence Strategy Document or we should introduce planned budgetary allocation for a longer period and based on a clear vision of what we have to achieve.”
Navy - Submarines, frigates and destroyers, naval advance jet trainers, carrier operated fighter aircraft, networking of weapons and platforms, medium range maritime surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, UAV
Air Force - Basic, Intermediate and Advance Trainer Aircraft, Fighters, Helicopters, Replacement of obsolete radars, Anti Aircraft Missiles, Upgradation of air defence environment, Replacement and Augmentation of Transport Fleet, Upgaradation of Fighter Aircraft, Development of Air Field in forward Areas, Upgradation of Navigational Aids, Precision Guided Munitions, UAVs.
Army- Light Artillery Guns, Night Vision devices for Armoured Corps, Modernisation of Special Forces, Light Tanks, Air Defence Weapon System, medium and light weight Helicopters, UAV
Military and geopolitical imperatives are changing at a rapid pace in the region. But India’s defence planning machinery continues to be slothful, if not completely dysfunctional. As a result, for the past six years, a significant portion of the funds allocated in the annual Union Budget for defence technology upgrades has remained unutilised.
In the latest Union Budget, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has made provisions to the tune of Rs 1, 47, 344 crores for the defence sector. Of this amount, Rs 60,000 crores is meant as Capital allocation for procurement, modernisation and land acquisition, among other exercises that are crucial for the growth of the defence forces. Chances are that a part of this amount will be returned to the national exchequer by the end of the fiscal year. In fiscal 2009-2010, when the total outlay was Rs 1,41,703, of which the Capital allocation was nearly Rs 55,000 crores, the defence establishment had surrendered Rs 5539 crores.
Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Kapil Kak, additional director of the Centre for Air Power Studies, attributes this tendency to return a significant percentage of the Capital allocation to the complete indifference among the defence top brass to planning and strategy.
The repercussions of this dangerous drift are being felt on the ground. The number of air squadrons has dwindled to 30. The firepower of Indian artillery, too, has diminished appreciably. The Indian forces have seen no addition of guns since 1984. The armoured corps is grappling with the lack of night-vision equipment. The Indian Navy is facing prospects of the strength of its submarine arm dropping to just ten vessels.
The Revenue allocation for defence, which is always appreciably larger than the Capital outlay, takes care mainly of recurring expenditures like salary disbursals, transport cost and maintenance of existing facilities. The Revenue provision in the current Union Budget is Rs 87, 377 crores. The annual increase in the defence outlay is actually negated by inflation. So even when the government announces that it is pushing up its defence budget, it does not amount to much. And when the sum that is returned is factored into the equation, the scenario can only become more worrisome.
Indeed, the amount being surrendered from the Capital outlay year after year is causing great concern among defence analysts. It boils down to lack of planning, inept management and a failure to keep track of what is happening in the neighbourhood.
The United States is arming Pakistan with state-of-the-art weaponry and platforms like modern F-16s and guided munitions. It has left India behind in missile technology with help from China. China, on the other hand, has started its own production of fighter aircraft and has been steadily improving its nuclear submarine arm and missile technology. In contrast, Indian defence planners are in the grip of severe myopia when it comes to steering the national security apparatus towards consistent improvement. Defence and strategy analyst K. Subrahmanyam says, “The defence planning mechanism in India has been erratic. It takes us 10 to 12 years to make up our minds about the type of aircraft we should buy.” Subrahmanyam points towards another crucial shortcoming that is taking its toll on the defence planning set-up. “In all other countries, the Chiefs of Staff are an integral part of the planning process whereas in India they are busy dealing only with day-to-day affairs,” he says.
As India dilly-dallies on defence acquisitions, the cost of equipment and armament escalates. India is compelled to purchase most of its weaponry from the international market because the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which was set up 52 years ago, does not have a particularly impressive track record.
AVM Kak is of the view that the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) should play an active role in assessing the national security environment. He says, “It was NSAB which developed the Nuclear Doctrine. We should task it to come up with a Defence Strategy Document or we should introduce planned budgetary allocation for a longer period and based on a clear vision of what we have to achieve.”
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