Feel The Might : Indian Defence Review - 2009

[Chanakyaa]

New Delhi. India’s march towards indigenization and strengthening of the Armed Forces through modernization and state-of-the-art weapons acquisitions were the highlights of the Ministry of Defence during the year 2009.




The Navy took a giant leap with the launching of the first indigenously built nuclear propelled strategic submarine named ‘Arihant’ in July. The Indian Navy is well on its way to acquire a lethal punch in the years ahead when it gets the first indigenous aircraft carrier. The keel for the carrier was laid in Kochi in February. The Navy also received the first batch of three MiG-29K fighter jets. The Air Force got a big boost when the first of the three AWACS, the IAF’s eye in the sky, joined its fleet in May. The Army’s focus during the year was on indigenization with the induction of locally built MBT Arjun and T-90 Bhishma tanks.

To facilitate the indigenous defence industry and fast track acquisitions by Transfer of Technology (ToT) from foreign vendors, the Ministry of Defence issued an updated Defence Procurement Procedure-2009 in October.

The year also fulfilled a longstanding aspiration of the Armed Forces personnel when the President inaugurated the Armed Forces Tribunal in August. The other significant events during the year include Rescue and Relief during cyclone Aila that hit West Bengal and humanitarian aid to war-ravaged Sri Lanka and the participation by a 400-member tri-service contingent in the French National Day Parade for the first time.

NUCLEAR POWERED SUBMARINE ARIHANT

India’s first indigenously built nuclear propelled strategic submarine named ‘Arihant’, meaning ‘Destroyer of the Enemies’, was launched on July 26 at the Ship Building Centre, Visakhapatnam. India thus joined a select group of nations which have the technological capability to build and operate nuclear propelled submarines.

Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, while congratulating the Director General of the ATV (Advanced Technology Vehicle) Programme, Vice Admiral (Retd) DSP Verma and all personnel associated with it for achieving this historic milestone in the country’s defence preparedness, noted that they overcame several hurdles and barriers to enable the country to acquire self-reliance in the most advanced areas of defence technology. He made a special mention of the cooperation extended by Russia.

The 6,000 ton ‘Arihant’ is undergoing trials for two years before its commissioning.

INDIGENOUS AIRCRAFT CARRIER

In February, the keel was laid in Kochi for the first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier, making India the fourth nation to join a select club of designers and builders of over 40,000 tonne Aircraft Carriers. The ship that will carry 30 aircraft including Mig-29Klub, LCA Tejas and Kamov Ka-31 helicopters and include a complement of 1,600 crew, is expected to add punch to the Navy’s capability when it joins the fleet in 2014. The carrier is the largest vessel for which construction has been undertaken at any Indian shipyard.

COMMISSIONING OF LANDING SHIP TANK INS AIRAVAT ETC.

INS Airavat, the third Landing Ship Tank (Large) of the Shardul class was commissioned in May. As a platform designed for amphibious operations the ship can carry 10 Main Battle Tanks, 11 Combat Trucks and 500 Troops and has a considerable range and endurance at sea. With its weapon package, control systems and habitability conditions significantly enhanced from the earlier Magar class, Airavat delivers considerable punch and amphibious capabilities to the fighting prowess of the Indian Navy.

Four Fast Attack Craft namely INS Cora Divh, Cheriyam, Carnicobar and Chetlat were also commissioned over the year.

MIG-29K ARRIVAL

The first batch of three MiG-29K aircraft was received on 4 Dec 2009 at INS Hansa Goa. A total of 16 aircraft have been contracted from Russia’s MiG RAC. These aircraft will be flown intensively after their acceptance.

CONTRACT FOR NAVY’S PATROL AIRCRAFT

A contract was signed in January with Boeing Industries for eight P-8I Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft worth $2.137 Billion. Delivery of aircraft is scheduled between 2013-15.

NAVAL ACADEMY AT EZHIMALA

The Naval Academy at Ezhimala, Kerala was commissioned on 8 Jan 2009. This Academy, named INS Zamorin, will be the largest officer-training Naval Academy in Asia. The Academy, spread over an area of 2452 acres along the North Malabar coastline, would be conducting a four-year ‘B Tech’ programme in ‘Electronics and Communications’ and ‘Mechanical Engineering’ for naval cadets.

FIRST BATCH OF WOMEN OBSERVERS JOIN INDIAN NAVY

Two lady officers were inducted as the first women Observers of the Indian Navy. Sub Lieutenant Seema Rani Sharma and Sub Lieutenant Ambica Hooda were awarded ‘Wings’ on November 20, 2009.

COASTAL SECURITY

In June, a meeting chaired by Defence Minister AK Antony decided to set up a high level committee under the Chairmanship of the Cabinet Secretary to review the measures taken for coastal security at regular intervals. The other members of the committee include the Chief of Naval Staff, Secretaries of all concerned Ministries such as Defence, Home, Petroleum and Chief Secretaries of Coastal States.

One significant achievement of the year has been the integration of all maritime stakeholders, including the several State and Central agencies into the coastal security matrix. Intelligence and information sharing has undergone a transformational change.

The Indian Navy has established four Joint Operation Centres in all Naval Commands. All coastal security operations are now coordinated from the Joint Operations Centre, which are manned round the clock by Naval and Coast Guard teams. In addition, the state Marine Police and other agencies such as Customs, Intelligence Bureau, Ports etc. are also networked with these centers. Besides the four Joint Operation Centers at Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, Kochi and Port Blair, each coastal district also has its own Operation Center for coordinating activity in their districts. The Coast Guard set up a station at Gandhinagar, Gujarat in December to strengthen maritime and coastal security in the northwestern region.

In a focused drive to enlist the support of fishermen for their role, awareness campaigns targeting coastal and fishing communities were conducted.

Recognizing that the Marine Police and CISF are not fully trained in maritime tasks, the Indian Navy has provided training assistance to all coastal states and CISF personnel. 263 CISF personnel have already undergone training at INS Chilka, the premier training establishment for sailors in the Indian Navy. Local Naval and Coast Guard elements in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Maharashtra have also taken up similar training for the Marine Police. Nearly 1600 marine police personnel have been trained. This effort continues during joint patrols, in which the Navy and Coast Guard participate along with the Marine Police, CISF and Customs.

ANTI-PIRACY OPERATIONS

The Indian Navy maintained one ship on anti-piracy patrol duties in the Gulf of Aden throughout the year. During the year the Indian Naval warships escorted over 700 merchant vessels through the treacherous Gulf of Aden. About 14 piracy attempts were successfully thwarted by the Indian Navy.

From early November an additional ship has been deployed to patrol the maritime areas of Seychelles and Mauritius to counter the increasing cases of piracy in these areas.

FIRST OF IAF AWACS ARRIVES IN INDIA

The first of the three Indian Air Force AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) platform arrived in India from Israel in May. Three Mig-29 and Jaguar aircraft escorted the giant IL-76 configured in its new avatar, each taking off from an advanced fighter airbase of South Western Air Command (SWAC). Air Officer Commandingin- Chief, SWAC, Air Marshal KD Singh, Air Defence Commander Air Vice Marshal P Singh and the AOC Jamnagar, Air Commodore C Hari Kumar and air warriors of the the airbase welcomed the crew of AWACS aircraft that included the Commanding Officer of the first AWACS squadron, Group Captain B Saju.

Their maiden touchdown on Indian soil also marked the first landing of the AWACS in an IAF airbase.

IAF REACTIVATES AIRFIELDS IN LADAKH

On September 18, 2009 an IAF AN-32 aircraft landed at Nyoma Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) in eastern Ladakh. Though helicopters have been landing at this ALG, this was for the first time that a fixed-wing aircraft landed at the compacted airstrip of Nyoma, located 23 km from the Line of Actual Control at an altitude of 13,300 feet. It marked the culmination of joint effort by the IAF and Indian Army to enable the IAF to operate in the inhospitable terrain of Leh-Ladakh region in support of the Army.

The landing came 15 months after an AN-32 landed at Daulat-Beg- Oldie (DBO), the highest airfield in the world situated at an altitude of 16,200 feet.

SU-30 INDUCTED IN TEZPUR

The Su-30 aircraft were formally inducted at Air Force Station Tezpur on 15 June 15, following the upgrade of the airbase in the northeast.

PRESIDENT INDUCTS VVIP BOEING BUSINESS JET 747/700 INTO IAF

President Pratibha Patil inducted the new state-of-the-art VVIP jet into the IAF on 1 Apr 2009. The President later undertook a flight to Assam aboard the new Boeing 737-700, christened as ‘Rajdoot’. The sparkling white 60-passengercapacity aircraft, designed on the lines of the US President’s Air Force One and equipped with a wide range of security cover and latest communication devices, replace the older Boeing 737s.

PRESIDENT FLIES SU-30, BOARDS AIRCRAFT CARRIER VIRAAT

President Pratibha Devisingh Patil became the first woman President anywhere across the world to fly a fighter jet. She undertook the historic half-hour sortie on the Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft at the Lohegaon airbase, Pune on November 25. In December, she boarded INS Viraat, India’s only aircraft carrier, and witnessed the operation of Sea Harrier Vertical Take-Off and Landing fighter jets from its decks. The 50-year-old 28,000 tonnes aircraft carrier rejoined the Indian Navy in August after a year-long refit at the Cochin Shipyard.

MMRCA FLIGHT TRIALS BEGIN

The Indian Air Force began flight evaluation tests for the procurement of 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) in August. US Boeing and Lockheed Martin, French Dassault, Swedish SAAB, European consortium EADS and Russian MiG are vying for the deal worth around Rs. 48,000 crore ($10.2 billion). The IAF hopes to complete the tests by April, 2010.

IAF EFFORTS IN ECLIPSE STUDY

The Indian Air Force successfully undertook sorties to help Indian scientists study the total solar eclipse that took place on July 23. Two separate missions from Agra and Gwalior were flown along the path of the moon’s shadow, a mission that was deemed hugely successful by scientists associated with the experiment. While one AN-32 transport aircraft carrying scientific equipment, cameras and scientists that took off from Agra landed back after a three-hour flight, a Mirage- 2000 trainer from Gwalior took spectacular images of the celestial spectacle from 40,000 feet. With weather being clear at the altitudes and coordinates planned by the IAF pilots, both AN-32 and Mirage-2000 pilots were able to accomplish the mission successfully.

ARMY RAISES FIRST ARMOURED REGIMENT OF MBT ARJUN

History of sorts was made on May 25 when the Indian Army proudly equipped itself with the first Armoured Regiment of the indigenously built Main Battle Tank, Arjun. The development marked the fruition of 35 years of research in self-reliance by dedicated Indian scientists against all odds. 16 tanks (cumulative 45 Arjun tanks) were handed over to Lt Gen D Bhardwaj, DGMF, towards formation of the 1st Arjun regiment at a function in Avadi, Tamil Nadu. MBT Arjun is the state-of-art main battle tank designed and developed by the Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE), Avadi along with other DRDO and industrial partners. MBT Arjun is provided with excellent mobility, superior firepower and protection and its features are comparable to contemporary tanks operated by cavalries around the world.

INDIGENOUSLY BUILT T-90 ‘BHISHMA’ TANKS ROLL OUT

India rolled out its first batch of the indigenous, Russian-designed T-90 tanks in August, which will be the country’s main battle tank over the next three decades. The successor to the T-72 tanks, the T-90 - renamed Bhishma after the Mahabharat (epic) stalwart - is the one of the most advanced tanks in the world. It has night-fighting capability and can fire guided missiles from its turret. It is also designed to ensure protection of crew from radioactivity in the event of a nuclear attack. The Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi in Tamil Nadu will make 100 T-90 tanks annually over the next 10 years. The tank will be the spearhead of India’s armoured corps and the mainstay of its offensive operations.

ARMY’S EFFORTS TO RESTORE NORMALCY IN J&K

The terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir have drastically come down and infiltration has been largely checked, thanks to the strict vigil on the Line of Control maintained by the Indian Army. In view of the improved situation in the state, the Army withdrew two Divisions comprising close to 30,000 troops.

THIRD SUCCESSFUL TEST OF BALLISTIC MISSILE INTERCEPTOR

India inched closer towards its endeavour to put in place its own home-grown Ballistic Missile Defence System by successfully carrying out the third Interceptor test on 6 Mar 2009 from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Wheeler Island in Orissa. The two-stage Interceptor Missile fitted with advanced systems hit the target ‘enemy’ missile at 75 km altitude. This third consecutive interception of Ballistic Missiles once again demonstrated the robustness of the Indian Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system programme.

DEFENCE PROCUREMENT PROCEDURE 2009 RELEASED

An updated and revised Defence Procurement Procedure-2009 was released in October 29, and it came into effect in November. It promotes indigenous defence industry, ensures transparency and accountability in all procurement cases and liberalizes Offset provisions to enable vendors to fulfil their obligations. The amended DDP-2009 introduced a new category named ‘Buy and Make (Indian)’ which enables indigenous private and public industry to enter into joint ventures with foreign suppliers by Transfer of Technology and not by Research and Development.

ARMED FORCES TRIBUNAL INAUGURATED

The long-awaited Armed Forces tribunal was inaugurated by the President Pratibha Devisingh Patil on 7 Aug 2009. Set up by an Act of parliament in December, 2007, the Armed Forces Tribunal has its Principal Bench in New Delhi and eight regional benches spread across the country. It has been followed with the setting up of the Tribunal’s regional benches in Chandigarh, Jaipur, Lucknow, Kolkata and Chennai. The Tribunal will have 15 courts in all, - three each in New Delhi, Chandigarh and Lucknow and one each in Jaipur, Mumbai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Chennai and Kochi.

Aggrieved armed forces personnel will now be able to appeal against sentences handed down by the courtmartial. The Tribunal has the powers to grant bail to any person in military custody. The Armed Forces Tribunal provides a judicial forum for the redressal of any grievances. India has about 1.3 million strong armed forces personnel and another 1.2 million Ex-Servicemen.

RESCUE & RELIEF DURING ‘AILA’ CYCLONE ETC.

Acting upon the request of the West Bengal government, the Ministry of Defence dispatched medical teams of the Armed Forces personnel to the devastating cyclone ‘Aila’ affected areas of North and South 24 Parganas districts of the state in June. Many columns of the Army and several divers from the Indian Navy were also engaged in providing relief and rescue. These teams provided medical aid to several thousand people in the Aila affected areas. 5,000 kg of relief stores were also distributed in the flood affected areas, which include clothing, food items and tents. Divers from Indian Navy and Army personnel rescued 450 marooned persons and evacuated them to safer areas. Armed Forces also pressed into service Gemini boats in cyclone affected areas to distribute relief materials. IAF also pressed the Mi-17 helicopters into service to provide aid to the affected people.

When parts of Andhra Pradesh and northern Karnataka were badly affected by floods in the first week of October, the Army, Navy and IAF carried out extensive operations, rescuing over 3,600 people. More than 4.5 tonnes of rations were distributed by the Army to the marooned people in the two flood affected states. The Air Force deployed 32 aircraft and helicopters, carrying out 340 sorties.. The Navy also deployed two Chetak helicopters and diving teams for flood rescue operations.

In February the IAF also launched Operation Humsafar to supply food and medicines to the snowbound remote areas of Doda district.

AID TO WAR-RAVAGED SRI LANKA

On the request of the Government of Sri Lanka, medical teams from Armed Forces were sent to warravaged northern Sri Lanka. Indian Air Force IL-76 transport aircraft airlifted several tones of medical aid to Colombo in March.

JOINT EXERCISES

The Indian Army conducted the joint exercise ‘YUDH ABHYAS-09’ with the US Army at Babina near Jhansi in October, towards coordinated peacekeeping and disaster relief operation. A Mechanised Infantry Battalion of Indian Army and 2nd Squadron of 14 CAV of 254 Stryker Brigade Combat Team comprising 325 US troops participated in this exercise.

Indian and Maldivian troops also conducted ‘EKUVERIN-09’ exercise in Belgaum.

Exercise COPE INDIA 2009 was held in October at Agra between IAF and US Air Force.

Six IAF Jaguars participated in a joint Air Exercise with the Royal Air Force of Oman at Thumrait, Oman the same month.

Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet Task Force comprising four warships carried out joint exercise ‘SIMBEX 09’ in March with the Singapore Navy. The Fleet also exercised with the US and Japanese Navies under the aegis of the MALABAR exercise. Additionally enroute, the fleet conducted exercises with the navies of Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, South Korea and Indonesia.

On the other hand, a Western Fleet Task Force comprising four ships were deployed to Europe from May 2009. The fleet ships touched over 15 ports and in addition to having dedicated joint operations with the Royal Navy the French Navy under the codenames ‘Konkan’ and ‘Varuna’ the ships also conducted exercises enroute with 12 different navies viz. the Algerian Navy, Portugese Navy, German Navy, Turkish Navy, Israeli Navy, Russian Navy, Royal Netherlands Navy, Spanish Navy, Moroccon Navy, Hellenic Navy, Egyptian Navy and the Royal Navy of Oman.

Indian Naval warships and aircraft also conducted joint surveillance of the extensive Exclusive Economic Zone in the waters of Maldives, Mauritius and Seychelles. Our ships conducted coordinated patrols with the navies of Thailand and Indonesia.

SEPARATE PAY COMMISSION FOR ARMED FORCES ANNOUNCED, PAY HIKE PROPOSALS IMPROVED

In a New Year bonanza for the Armed Forces on January 1, 2009, the Prime Minister’s Office informed the Defence Ministry that the Armed Forces personnel would henceforth have a separate Pay Commission, which is delinked from the civilian pay panel.

On April 21 the Government notified Pay Band-4A with a Grade Pay of Rs 8000 for Lieutenant Colonels and equivalents in Navy and Air Force, which benefitted about 15,000 officers. Later the Government approved higher wages under the Sixth Pay Commission for Lieutenant Generals and equivalent officers, putting them at par with the Director Generals of Police, a key demand of the Armed Forces. About 33 per cent of the total number of Lt Generals in the Army, Air Marshals in the IAF and Vice Admirals in the Navy, were granted the Higher Administrative Grade (HAG) Plus scales.

AERO INDIA 2009

The 7th Edition of Aero India, Asia’s premier Air Show, was held in Bengalore from 11 to 15 February 2009. In size and number, this was the biggest air show, hosted by India so far. 592 exhibitors from 25 countries participated at the show. A number of aircraft including F-16, F-18, MiG- 35D, Eurofighter, IJT, ALH Dhruv, AJT Hawk, C-17, Embraer 135 Business Jet Legacy 600, C-130J Hercules, Citation XLS, G 550, AN-12 Cargo and A-310 MRTT were on display. Defence Ministers of France, Peru, Bolivia, Surinam, Mongolia, Oman and Maldives came for the show. Besides high level delegations from 40 countries also attended the Show.

SAINIK SAMACHAR CENTENARY

The Armed Forces Journal ‘Sainik Samachar’ celebrated its Centenary on 2 Jan 2009. Sainik Samachar had started as Fauji Akhbar, an Urdu weekly on January 2, 1909, with an aim to provide Army personnel with ‘a summary of news with a military bias’. It was re-christened as Sainik Samachar on 4 Apr 1954. Defence Minister AK Antony released a Coffee Table Book ‘Soldiering On...’ on the occasion.

INDIAN ARMED FORCES CONTINGENT PARTICIPATES IN FRENCH NATIONAL DAY PARADE

A 400-strong contingent of the Indian Armed Forces comprising marching columns and a combined military band from the Army, Air Force and Navy participated in the French National Day parade on 14 July 2009 in Paris. This was the first time an Indian military contingent was accorded the honour. The contingent was commanded by Air Commodore RK Mathur.

ANTONY TAKES OVER AS DEFENCE MINISTER FOR THE SECOND TIME

Following the resounding win of the United Progressive Alliance in the April-May General Elections to the 15th Lok Sabha, Mr AK Antony took over as the Defence Minister for the second time on May 25, 2009. He has been at the helm of the Defence Ministry since 25 October 2006.

APPOINTMENTS

Mr Pradeep Kumar took over as the Defence Secretary on July 31 following the superannuation of Mr Vijay Singh. He was already working as Secretary (Defence Production) in the Ministry of Defence. Earlier on May 31, Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik took charge as the 19th Chief of Air Staff from Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major and later the Navy got Admiral Nirmal Verma as its new chief, following the superannuation of Admiral Sureesh Mehta.

Eminent missile scientist Dr Vijay Kumar Saraswat took over as the new head of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) from Mr M Natarajan on 1 Sep 2009. He has spearheaded development of the countryfs strategic and tactical missile systems including the eAgnif series of strategic missiles covering a range up to 3,500 km.

 

[Chanakyaa]

Indian Army: 2020
By Gen. S Padmanabhan
Issue: Vol 20.4

National security, is that ambience, in which a nation is able to protect and promote its national values, pursue its national interests and aspirations, in spite of, or, in the absence of, external or internal threats, real or perceived. Threats to national security may impact on any aspect of a nation’s life, ranging from its territorial integrity and internal cohesion to its economy, political structures and institutions, diplomacy, national leadership, national character, morale and so on. The armed forces of a nation have a vital role to play in meeting these threats.
India’s National Interests

India’s national interests, simply stated, are as follows :-

* National sovereignty.
* Unity and integrity of the country.
* Democratic and secular polity.
* Economic development.
* Social and economic justice.
* Favourable world order.
* Preservation and promotion of our values.

Our Strategic Vision

Nations adopt a national strategy in order to attain their national interests or goals. Clarity of strategic vision is very important if the indian-army-2020.jpgnational strategy is to take the nation on an optimal course to its desired national objectives. Let us, briefly, examine our strategic vision.

We are one of the oldest civilizations on Earth. Nearly, a sixth of the human race is Indian. Our country occupies a strategic location on the southern promontory of the Asian land mass and dominates large expanses of the Indian Ocean including the routes to the oil rich Gulf region, South East Asia and the Orient. These intrinsic attributes qualify, indeed demand, that India be a major player at the world stage.

By tradition, India has been a peace-loving and responsible nation. It has abjured aggression, espoused the doctrine of ‘Ahimsa’ or non-violence, led the non-aligned group of nations and played a constructive role as a member of the United Nations. This tradition clearly suggests that India should aspire to become a benign and moral superpower, rather than one, whose brute strength or wealth alone, confer on it, its place under the sun. Any examination of our strategic environment must be carried out against the backdrop of our strategic vision and the long term plans and strategies needed to realise that vision. By such an examination, we shall be able to predict the strategic environment of the decades ahead, and arrive at the appropriate force structure and equipment profile for our Army of the future.
Aim

The aim of this article is to visualise the likely national security environment in 2020 with special reference to the threats and challenges that may confront us at that time, and arrive at the most appropriate indian-army-2020-1.jpgforce structure and equipment profile for the Indian Army of 2020.

While the focus in this article is on the Army, it must not be construed that the Army can fulfill its missions without the active partnership of the Navy and the Air Force. Joint, or preferably, integrated tri-service functioning in war and peace will be an essential pre-requisite for success in all our operations.

With this background, let us examine the geo-strategic environment we might face in 2020.
The Geo-Strategic Environment

Two major events, roughly a decade apart, have played a major role in shaping the current geo-strategic environment. The first being the demise of the Soviet Union. It brought the Cold War to an end, and conferred on the USA, an unchallenged pre-eminence in the world as the sole superpower. The second was the ‘9-11 Event’ – the 11th September indian-army-2020-2.jpg2001 terrorist attacks on targets in Washington DC and New York. This impelled the USA to declare ‘War on Terrorism’, and attack Afghanistan and Iraq with a ‘coalition of like-minded countries’, with the purpose of ousting their regimes, which were sponsors of terrorist groups like Al Quaeda and were hostile to the USA. The USA believed that Iraq was in possession of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

The impact of these two events are now being clearly felt in international affairs and by all indications, appear to be long lasting. We need to take note of the following major ramifications, which are specially relevant to India :-

* The USA has become hegemonic. Her style of diplomacy is increasingly becoming peremptory and coercive.
* The UN has been sidelined by the USA, which, acts at will, ignoring the need for UN’s sanction.
* The USA has adopted the doctrine of ‘Preemptive Military Intervention’. In consonance with this doctrine – threats, whether real and present or, perceived, are not allowed to mature, by use of military force.
* The USA has drawn a list of countries, which are ‘of concern’ to it. Of these, it has dealt with Afghanistan and Iraq. North Korea and Iran await similar treatment by the superpower. Recently, India has voted in favour of a USA backed resolution against Iran possibly to secure military materials, nuclear technology and fuel for civilian purposes. If India resiles from her pro-USA stance in the late November 2005 voting, the USA may deny its expectations. This would amount to dictating India’s foreign policy.
* China is neither amenable to coercion nor susceptible to being ‘contained’. Besides, because North Korea is a protégé of China, the latter has a major role in USA’s dealings with that country. The USA has also economically engaged China, as it provides a large market for US manufactured goods. The USA believes too, that as the USA-China trade gets increasingly intertwined, the likelihood of an armed conflict between the two will correspondingly reduce.

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* The European Union, despite reservations on the part of some constituents, is for purposes of realpolitik pro-USA.
* Russia, because of her present economic debility, is supporting the USA or, at least, not opposing her. It may become more independent in its attitude as its economy recovers, a process that has already begun.
* Pakistan is a ‘major non-NATO ally’ of the USA and also its frontline state for the ‘War on Terrorism’. The US has troops and aircraft on Pakistan’s soil. It has been permitted to set up bases in return for huge subventions and to bail out Pakistan from the brink of a near-collapse economic situation. In effect, Pakistan has become a client state of the USA with a less than independent foreign policy.
* Terrorism, religious fundamentalism, nuclear and missile technology proliferation are pressing concerns for the US. It believes that these could ultimately pose danger to its ‘homeland’, something about which the USA is hypersensitive, or, even paranoid.

These are some of the ramifications of the two events i.e. the Soviet collapse and the 9/11 event, which shall continue to influence international relations in the next two decades or more. However, by 2020, some changes would have taken place with regard to the circumstances of the world’s principal nations. These are enumerated below :-

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* The USA will continue to be the preeminent power. Nevertheless, her ‘edge’ over China would have reduced to a small margin.
* China would be increasingly inclined to join issue with the USA, taking into account its envisaged near-superpower status. However, she would not risk her new found prosperity by being over-assertive with the USA and thus risk war.
* India would have caught up with China and achieved parity with China in many areas, but not military.
* Pakistan will continue to be the USA’s client state, and in case the latter so presses, she may even enter into a comprehensive peace agreement with India. Otherwise, Pakistan would prefer to keep tensions alive with India in order to extract concessions and benefits from both China and the USA who will want an economically resurgent India to be reined in.
* The USA’s ‘War on Terrorism’ may prove to be endless as, though the enemy has been rightly identified, the means being applied are all wrong, indeed, self-defeating.
* Radical religion will pose problems for the entire world as such. As radicalism flourishes in less developed countries, by 2020, there would also be a large number of very poor countries with radicalism well entrenched.

After this brief estimate of the geo-strategic environment in, 2020, let us turn to India’s internal security environment.
India’s Internal Security Environment, 2020

India is a rapidly developing country with a GDP growth of seven percent. It has a huge reserve of technical manpower and strong liberal indian-army-2020-6.jpgpolitical culture, a youthful population more than half of which will be below 30 years of age in 2020. It also has strong and apolitical armed forces. Our present concerns, which may persist in future are as under:-

* The present rate of population growth is 1.6 percent. It is imperative to bring it down to one percent by 2020-2025.
* The political culture in the country has deteriorated over the years. Communalism, sectarianism, regional parochialism, and sub-nationalism are on the rise. There is growing criminalisation of politics and a culture of ‘vote banks’ has taken root. Politicisation of the bureaucracy and the police, is well-established. The Armed Forces have, so far, been able to remain insulated from politics. Unless these evils are overcome, in 2020, we may have a nation whose internal security environment will be extremely unhealthy.
* Distributive justice with regard to sharing of revenues and the fruits of development is an imperative, if radical left movements, currently active in the country, are to be eliminated by 2015 or so.
* The separatist movements in the North-East and J & K must be amicably resolved.
* Black money and drug trafficking must be put to an end as they not only ruin the economy but also corrupt the youth.

Attention to the above areas of concern will enable India to achieve desired internal security by 2020. Let us now identify the threats and challenges India is likely to face in 2020.
Threats and Challenges to India : 2020
Military Threats

* India is not likely to face a military threat from the USA or China because of its strength, both military and economic.

* A medium level military threat may arise from Pakistan if it fails to make adequate economic and political progress, or, its leadership passes to radical elements, or, the country as such, fails and lapses into a state of anarchy.
* Bangladesh may pose a very low level threat if it decides to encourage demographic ‘aggression’ by using its over-sized armed forces in support.
* Threats of non-state groups armed with WMD could become a reality. They could be acting on their own initiative or, at the behest of a sponsor nation. This dimension of WMD would warrant war-like response from us.

Challenges. Apart from military threats, a number of non-military challenges may have to be faced by our Army in the 2020 time frame. These are as follows: -

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* Human resources of appropriate quality may get drawn to the more lucrative civilian sector. The terms and conditions of service and satisfaction levels of personnel, must be made more attractive. We should also enroll more short service personnel than regular cadres to reduce pension liabilities and for better career management of officers.
* Funds allotted to the Armed Forces should be sustained at a level of three per cent of GDP for at least 12 to 15 years so as to ensure requisite modernisation and making good existing shortfalls.
* Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) must be upgraded qualitatively and top quality scientists should be inducted into it. Rightfully, their expectations of pay and research facilities will be high. These must be met.
* Private sector participation in defence R & D and development of complete systems by them, must be facilitated. Government should fund their defence research projects and give them guarantees of sizeable orders to encourage their partnership with the DRDO.
* Scientific and technical manpower will be eagerly sought by other countries. To overcome this ‘brain-drain’, we should improve the working conditions and research facilities in our country.
* The IT driven revolution in military affairs requires that the Army ‘manages’ these changes in a systematic and smooth manner. We need to create an integrated force working in an ‘unified battle space’; seamless communications; extensive exploitation of IT with excellent ‘cyber security’; top quality space based and terrestrial surveillance systems and fully operationalised C4I2 systems. This convergence of various technologies and capabilities will bestow the forces with much enhanced force-multiplier benefits through Network Centric Warfare (NCW). We have a long way to go in this regard.

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* Internal contingencies of various types could retard or block the Army’s effort to achieve optimal development in the next 15 years. We need to be prepared with suitable contingency plans to overcome these ‘drag’ factors.

Extreme Contingencies. In the unlikely event of our prognosis being grossly in error, the following extreme contingencies could occur :-

* The USA, in a bid to prevent China from superseding her as the superpower, provokes China to a war with possible use of nuclear weapons.
* China, in frustration with the US-India Axis and to teach India a lesson, may declare war on us.
* Pakistan may join China in the war against India, or, allow to be used as a proxy to support China in a ‘holding’ mode.

Nature of Warfare in 2020

We have already seen that war with the USA and China (and, indeed, other advanced countries) is most unlikely. War with Pakistan may however occur, as also minor skirmishes with Bangladesh. Such engagements may have the following characteristics :-

* They will be of short duration, say, a week or less.
* Penetration in depth is unlikely to be attempted by either side.
* ‘Cold Start’ will be attempted whenever possible to achieve surprise and maximise gains.
* The entire border is likely to be activated with shallow thrusts, very heavy firepower and short span manoeuvres.
* Nuclear weapons may not be used; their use may, however, be threatened.
* Special Forces and coup-de-main forces will play a major role.
* Integrated action by all three services will be crucial for the enhancement of our combat power vis-à-vis the adversary’s.
* Levels of technology employed in the wars will be higher than at present.
* Wars will end in stalemate, with little or no gain, and heavy losses to military as well as civilian targets.
* In the case of Bangladesh, the threat is of such a low level as to be non-serious. However in the skirmishing, the danger of casualties to unarmed civilians will be great and will need to be handled with firmness and imagination.

Vision : Indian Army: 2020

The foregoing threat assessment and the likely nature of any future war we may be required to fight, including the extreme contingencies we have listed, should give us the ‘Vision’ of the Indian Army, 2020. We may state this vision as follows: -

“The Indian Army, 2020 will be an optimally equipped and weaponised force, with the capability to operate effectively in an integrated joint services environment, over the entire spectrum of conflict, in a regional context.”

The vision statement spelt out above, is appropriate to the restrained aspirations of this huge and benign country, whose ethical values and traditions inhibit it from anything less modest than what has been stated. It also ensures that this country shall never again have to undergo the humiliation of foreign conquest, as in the past; hence the emphasis on optimal strength, under all conditions of warfare.
Role of the Indian Army

Armies are maintained by countries in order to safeguard their core values and national interests from external aggression and internal subversion. The Primary and Secondary roles of our Army are as under :-

* Primary Role. Deter external aggression and, if deterrence fails, defeat it by force.
* Secondary Role. Assist the Government in overcoming internal threats, foreign sponsored or indigenous, and aid the civil authority when requisitioned for the purpose.

Capabilities Entailed by the Role

The capabilities that the Army must posses to fulfill its role must be identified in accordance with our ‘Vision’ for the Army. The capabilities, thus identified are as under :-

* Deterrent Capability. The Army should be so strong in both conventional and nuclear weapons, that potential aggressors are deterred.
* War Fighting Capability. If deterrence fails, the Army should be able to fight a successful war against the enemy, over any terrain, and in conventional as well as NBC warfare situations.
* Internal Security Management Capability. The Army should be able to deal with and manage internal security situations of various types like insurgency, grave law and order situations; and also render aid to civil power, when requisitioned under various situations including disasters, both natural and man-made.
* Force Projection Capability. The Army should be capable of operating ‘out-of-area’ as part of an integrated task force, when ordered by the Government.
* Peace Keeping Operations Capability. The Army should be able to undertake UN Peace Keeping Missions in any part of the world and inter-operate with Army components of other countries in such operations.

indian-army-2020-8.jpgThough we presently posses all these capabilities in some measure, the desired level is yet to be realised in many areas. Resource inadequacy, lack of clear policy directions from the Government, frequent ‘re-thinks’ on the part of the Army, failure of timely supplies of material and shoddy quality of what has been supplied, are some of the reasons attributable to the Army’s inability to achieve and retain the desired level of capability at all times. Perhaps, even more important reason, is the knowledge driven Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA), which accelerates the process of obsolescence of equipment, doctrines and tactics. It is in this critical area of RMA that a lot of work needs to be done so that we can have adequate levels of the desired capabilities, at all times.

Let us now examine whether the present structure of the Army needs to be altered to enable the Army to fulfill its assigned role better.
Structure of the Army : 2020

General. It is idle to claim that our organisations have ‘stood the test of time and war’ and, therefore, need not be tampered with. The nature of wars we are likely to face has changed. The battle zone is virtually transparent to surveillance devices. The range and lethality of weapons has increased many times over. Precision guided munitions have replaced the old area-neutralisation munitions. Means of mobility have increased. And the convergence of Information Technology, computers, all-weather sensors, communications and firepower resources has vested commanders at various levels, with unprecedented real-time knowledge of the situation as also the ability to alter it at will. These developments necessitates a review of our existing force structure.

Macro-level Restructuring. The Army has always been regretting the blunting of the ‘Combat Edge’ it had over its traditional adversary. The calculation of force ratios between the adversaries was hitherto done on a service to service basis – our Army versus the opponent’s, our Navy and Air Force versus the opponent’s. This gave us a skewed idea of the capability of our armed forces as a whole vis-à-vis our adversary. Wars are not fought service wise. All the services have to join during combat. In such a milieu, the three services should be integrated into one strong unified force with – unity of command and control, total synergy in operations, and much superior and economical employment of the resources available to the armed forces. There is bound to be great opposition to this idea, just as in the case of formation of the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) in 2001-2002. There is no escaping the military logic of creating suitably constituted integrated theatre commands and functional (non-territorial) commands for the Armed Forces as a whole. The benefits that will accrue are : cohesion among the services, synergy leading to maximisation of combat power, better exploitation of the RMA brought about by C4I2 enabling Network Centric Warfare (NCW), strategic and intra- theatre flexibility in handling of resources and, above all, classic unity of effort. No specific solutions are offered for the creation of such integrated theatre commands. If the idea suggested above raises discussion on this important issue, our aim would have been achieved. Hopefully, this idea too, is NOT put into cold storage like the creation of the post of Chief of the Defence Staff!

Reorganising the Present Army for 2020. The resistance to change for macro level restructuring of India’s Armed Forces, is likely to be stiff. It may, therefore, not be achievable in the 5-10 years timeframe. However, within the existing organisation of the Army some meaningful reorganisation can be brought about. The following suggestions could be considered :-

* Intelligence and surveillance organisations must be strengthened and modernised.
* Additional Special Forces (SF), patterned broadly on the present organisation, need to be raised. These units should be capable of functioning in very small groups, for prolonged periods, within or beyond the combat zone. Their tasks could include covert special reconnaissance; target specific raids; unconventional operations to organise resistance groups and conduct guerilla warfare in enemy territory; penetration of terrorist organisations for intelligence purposes; and counter-terrorism in all its manifestations including WMD. The personnel must be endowed with very high level of practical intelligence, initiative, mission orientation and excellent linguistic competence appropriate to the area where they are to operate.
* Special Rapid Action forces for offensive or reactive employment at the Corps level and an Army reserve with adequate airlift resources including for light tanks/ICVs, needs to be created.
* Information Warfare Units need to be created at each Corps to carry out psychological operations.
* An amphibious formation suitably grouped with other elements for out of area operations should be raised.
* As the proxy war and insurgencies abate, the existing RR force may be scaled down suitably and kept as a reserve force for the same tasks as before.
* Conventional forces, which are today considered to be ‘holding’ forces, should be enabled to take up ‘cold start’ offensives by grouping with them mechanised forces, airborne/ heliborne forces as the case may be. This will give the ‘strike’ forces a forward launch pad for their tasks.
* Strategic forces need to be built up to ‘deterrent’ levels against a major power like China. The more forbidding the weapon the more likely it is to deter the enemy. The nuclear arsenal must, therefore, be enlarged and diversified to include thermo-nuclear weapons. To ensure guaranteed second strike capability, submarines capable of launching thermo-nuclear weapons must be available.
* Air defence of the field force must be upgraded considerably.
* Army logistics must be improved by equipping transport units with high mobility vehicles. Heavy lift helicopter units of the Air Force should be made available to them on a guaranteed basis for training and operations.
* The survivability aspect of personnel needs to be addressed. The soldier must have lightweight personal protective clothing, excellent night vision device, light and accurate automatic weapon, ‘walkie-talkie’ type of radio communications and each section must have a portable anti-aircraft missile firing capability.

We have suggested what could be done to better utilise the presently available forces to give us the desired capabilities. The question, whether the existing organisation of the field army into corps, division and brigades should be retained, or a more flexible organisation of ‘task forces’ directly controlled by a divisional or corps headquarters should be introduced, needs to be considered by the Army. The organisation so created should not only be tactically sound, it should also result in substantial savings in manpower for the Army. Overall, with a switch to the Task Force mode, significant savings of manpower can accrue even at present.
Equipment Profile

Mechanised Forces. T-90 tanks are likely to be the mainstay for the next two decades and after mid-life upgradation. The next generation of Infantry Combat Vehicles (ICV) should be in service by 2010 or so. Part of the ICVs should be wheeled. All mechanised forces should be NBC proof, better protected, and have greater speed and night fighting capability.

Artillery. Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) with range in excess of 120 kilometers, SSMs of the Prithvi family with solid propellant, self-propelled guns (both tracked and wheeled) of the same calibre, some long range rifled mortars and a higher availability of precision guided munitions form the bulk of the Artillery ‘wish list’ for 2020. Better radio sets, better equipment (both radar and opto-electronic) for target acquisition and survey, upgraded computers for both gun and observer ends and advanced systems of fire direction and damage assessment are also needed. The use of remotely piloted aerial vehicles working in conjunction with long range MLRS will help shape the future battlefield in depths, hitherto not attained. It will also alter the battlefield into a non-linear one.

Infantry. The Infantry needs to be upgraded to produce very high volumes of fire using a range of weapons. Surveillance by radars and other sensors will give the Infantry added ability to ‘kill’ enemy tanks and other hard targets. The next generation of ATGW should be in service by 2015, giving the Infantry greater lethality. With improved personal protective clothing, better night vision capability and the ability to shoot down attacking aircraft with section level anti aircraft guided missiles, the infantryman of Army 2020 will be a very formidable soldier indeed.
Doctrinal Changes

The following doctrinal changes/refinements are suggested for the Army in 2020: -

* Through superlative preparedness deter any country from engaging us in war.
* Every war in the future, must be fought in an integrated manner.
* Every war must be won with the fewest casualties and cost to us.
* Attack all the enemy’s vulnerabilities, all at one time if possible, and create an adverse impact on his will to fight.
* Manoeuvre versus Attrition. Attrition involves heavy costs to the attacker, manoeuvre places the attackers at a relative advantage over the defender. Even in the mountains, it is only by manoeuvre that the formidable, fixed defences can be captured with the minimum cost to us. Aggressive use of airborne and heliborne/heli-landed troops in conjunction with unorthodox employment of tanks and ICVs after heavy bombardment, will enable manoeuvre in mountains.
* Leadership. Despite the vast inventory of high-tech machines and instruments available to the Army and the better educated soldier of 2020, good leaders will always be prized.

Conclusion

There is no mathematical exactness about when events will transpire and whether certain aspects we have assumed as being constant will actually be so or will alter radically, putting our prognosis into error. Notwithstanding this, a few points cannot be disputed. These are: India is progressing rapidly as an economic power; its natural endowments like strategic location, rich mineral resources and a large, industrious and hardy population, befit her for great power status. Its Army is large, disciplined, battle tested and renowned throughout the world for its professional quality. Such an army should be upgraded further in quality to serve India of 2020, in a befitting manner.

 

[Chanakyaa]

IDSA COMMENT
India’s Defence Budget (2010-2011): Wake up call for Defence Managers
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Arvind Kadyan

March 3, 2010

As per the Budget Estimates (BE) proposed for the year 2010-11, the total expenditure of Central government will be Rs. 11,08,749 crore, which is an increase of 8.6 per cent over total expenditure in BE of 2009-10. The Plan and Non Plan expenditure in BE 2010-11 are estimated at Rs. 3,73,092 crore and Rs. 7, 35,651 crore, respectively. While there is a 15 per cent increase in Plan expenditure, the increase in Non Plan expenditure is only 6 per cent over BE of 2009-10. The fiscal deficit has been projected as 5.5 percent of GDP in 2010-11 against 6.9 per cent during the preceding year.

The fiscal year 2009-10 was a challenging year for the Indian economy. The significant deceleration in the second half of 2008-09 brought the real GDP growth down to 6.7 per cent, from an average of over 9 per cent in the preceding three years. However, due to implementation of broad based counter cyclic policy package, the negative fallout of the global slowdown has been arrested. Although due to fiscal expansion and liberal monetary policy, the Indian economy is showing some signs of stabilization, unless there is consolidation of gains achieved during the last fiscal year the economy may take longer to revert to the high GDP growth path.

The Thirteenth Finance Commission has recommended a calibrated exit strategy from the expansionary fiscal stance of the last two years. As a part of the fiscal consolidation process, the Finance Minister in his Budget speech on February 26, 2010 proposed to reduce the domestic public debt-GDP Ratio. In the Medium Term Fiscal Policy Statement, the Government has proposed a rolling target for fiscal deficit in the next two fiscal years. It is proposed to bring down the fiscal deficit from 5.5 per cent of GDP in 2010-11 to 4.8 per cent in 2011-12 and to 4.1 per cent in 2012-13.

The expenditure on Defence comes under Non Plan expenditure. As per the Budget Estimates for the year 2010-11, Defence has been allocated Rs. 1,47,344 crore, i.e. a marginal increase of 3.98 percent over the BE of 2009-10. The outlay for Defence comprises of Rs. 87,344 for Revenue expenditure1 and Rs. 60,000 crore for Capital expenditure2. Keeping in view the requirement of Defence for modernization of forces, the Capital budget has been given an increase of 9.44 per cent over the BE of 2008-09. The revenue allocation has increased only by 0.5 percent. However, there is a net reduction in allocation of Rs. 1096 crore in Revenue budget in comparison to the Revised Estimates of 2009-10. Last year, the Revenue budget was increased by 50.85 per cent over the BE of 2008-09 due to implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendation. Since part of that was a one time expenditure, thus no additional funds were required under the Pay and Allowances head this year. However, considering the fact that a substantial part of Revenue expenditure is incurred on Stores & Equipment, Transportation, Revenue Works, Maintenance of Buildings, Installation, etc. and there is a danger of double digit inflation, thus the proposed allocation under these heads of expenditure will require extra effort on the part of defence functionaries to prioritise expenditure without compromising the operational readiness of the forces.

A look at the chart below shows that about half the expenditure is such that the Central Government has little control over it. The only expenditure which can be controlled by the Central Government is Central Plan (25 per cent), Defence (13 per cent) and other Non Plan expenditure including Pensions (16 per cent).

Due to rising social and political tensions in different parts of the country, there is far greater need for inclusive growth. To achieve this goal the government has to allocate more resources for infrastructure development, health and education, etc. Thus Plan expenditure is bound to rise in the coming years and consequently the Government will have to take steps to reduce Non Plan expenditure to achieve reduction in the fiscal deficit as mentioned above. Considering the security environment in and around India, the government will have to provide more funds under the Capital budget required for modernization of forces. Thus, Defence authorities will have to work out how to function with a minimal increase in the Revenue budget.

The Thirteenth Finance Commission has observed that there exists considerable scope to improve the quality and efficiency of defence expenditure through increased private sector engagement, import substitution and indigenization, improvements in procedures and practices and better project management, within the parameters of Government of India’s policy. Efforts in this direction will further expand the fiscal space available for defence spending.

The Standing Committee on Defence in its report on Demand for Grants (2009-10), placed in the Lok Sabha on December 16, 2009, also recommended that there is an urgent need to curb wasteful expenditure. The Committee has consistently been raising this issue in its earlier reports as well. In pursuance thereof, the Ministry had constituted a Defence Expenditure Review Committee (DERC) to comprehensively review all aspects of defence expenditure. The committee has already submitted its report. However, the action taken report on DERC recommendations indicating the areas where expenditure can be curbed is awaited. Since tax payer’s money is spent on such committees it is essential that the outcomes of their recommendations be placed in the public domain.

The Ministry of Finance had projected a growth rate of 7 per cent per annum for defence revenue expenditure. Capital expenditure is projected to grow at 10 per cent per annum. The resultant projection for overall annual growth rate of defence expenditure works out to 8.33 per cent.3 However, due to the economic slowdown and the compulsion of providing more funds for inclusive growth, the allocation for Defence is less (particularly for revenue expenditure) than what was projected by the Ministry of Finance. This situation is likely to continue into the near future. Thus, Defence Mangers need to initiate immediate measures to control the rising revenue expenditure.

The Revenue expenditure of Defence has grown from Rs. 10,194 cores in 1989-90 to Rs. 87,344 crore in 2010-11, i.e. an increase of almost nine times during the last two decades. A look at the graph below shows that Revenue expenditure is growing at a much faster pace in comparison to Capital expenditure.

Note: Based on RE figures for 2009-10 and BE figures for 2010-11 budget. For remaining years actual expenditure has been taken.

The revenue expenditure trend for the last three years shows that about 46 per cent of expenditure is incurred on pay and allowances, 35 percent on stores and equipment, 10 per cent on revenue works, 4 per cent on transportation, and 5 per cent on Miscellaneous Charges. To check the rising revenue expenditure, the following measures could be considered:

1. Since more than half of revenue expenditure is spent on pay and allowances, to reduce expenditure on this account in the short term is not possible. However, considering the fact that the nature of war has changed, there is a need to develop force structures that are capability based and not threat based. Defence transformation through technological improvements is the need of the hour. Further, the three Services need to be integrated through reorganisation of higher formations and through joint training and joint procedures, which will ensure coherence and synergy. All this will facilitate the downsizing of the armed forces and result in a reduction in revenue expenditure.
2. A substantial portion of expenditure is incurred on stores and equipment. It also comprises of expenditure on maintenance of equipments. It is a well established fact that the cost of arms acquisition is only a small fraction of the life cycle cost and logistics and maintenance management is a far more important activity. Consequently, countries like the United States and United Kingdom have adopted a performance based logistics (PBL) strategy for system support as a result of which the availability and reliability of systems have improved. Under this strategy, the original manufacturer or its nominated contractor maintains the weapon system at the specified level of operational readiness and usage, and is paid a graded incentive for exceeding the specified levels of system maintenance. The PBL has been found to be a far more cost effective solution than in-house logistics and maintenance management. The requirement of existing service logistics and maintenance infrastructure could be reduced by adopting this strategy. Further, modern supply chain management techniques need to be employed to reduce storage echelons and inventory holding, by making more use of ICT.
3. The process of implementation of outcome budgeting in Defence needs to be expedited. It will bring accountability into the system and authorities will be required to define and identify the objects for which funds are required and then intimate what outcome(s) have been achieved. It will reduce ad-hoc decision making and thus reduce wasteful expenditure. Some of the service-specific organizations and establishments, such as workshops, repair organizations, naval dockyards and depots, should immediately be brought under the regimen of outcome budgeting.
4. In the case of transportation, expenditure could be reduced by making more use of railways facilities instead of road transport. There are some co-ordination problems with the Railways which need to sorted out since it is in the interest of both the departments. Now large numbers of Defence Personnel are entitled to fly by air. There is a tendency to go for full fare ticket (even in normal circumstances) when cheap air tickets are also available. The total expenditure on this account may be negligible but the issue is not that of amount. In fact, it reflects the fact that while spending Government money the canons of financial propriety are not being adhered to in letter and spirit.
5. The revenue expenditure is regulated by the principles and procedures contained in the Defence Procurement Manual (DPM)-2009. With a view to improving the quality of expenditure, the Ministry of Defence has delegated substantial powers to Services Headquarters and lower formations. This delegation has certainly helped in improving the speed of the expenditure but the same cannot be said about the quality of expenditure. There are instances of procurement of items without adequate justification and in excess quantity. To reduce wasteful expenditure the system of allocation of some grants every year without ascertaining the actual requirement needs to be reviewed. For example, every year funds under Hot Weather Grants are allotted which is not required since many units do not need Matkas (earthen wares) as they have made provision for water coolers.
6. Moreover, the units get a number of grants and in many cases the amount is a few thousand Rupees only. These grants are received by units through different directorates of Service Headquarters. Since processing and intimation of these grants involves a lot of manpower, it needs to be considered whether units should be given a lump sum amount for Miscellaneous expenditure and be authorised to use the same as they deem fit for the defined purpose. It will improve quality of fund utilisation and reduce manpower requirement of Headquarters, thereby resulting in savings in expenditure.
7. While delegating financial power to lower formations it was assumed that Local Purchases would be more economical. However, it is difficult to say that the desired purpose has been achieved. To bring economy in local purchases it is essential that Central Authorities ensure that as far as possible Rate Contracts for the items required by field units are concluded.
8. Presently Units/Formations prepare procurement plan (except for ACSFP & TAG Grant) after funds are received. Presently, the endeavour is to ensure that all allotted funds are utilised and in the process many items are procured which are not required or purchased in excess of requirement. To overcome this situation it should be made mandatory for units/formations to prepare Priority Procurement Plan for all types of purchases in advance and no new items shall be included unless unavoidable. The present system compels officers to spend the allotment even though it may not be essential or urgent.
9. Defence should adopt Project Management approach for inducting complete systems or setting up facilities to enhance operational readiness on a life cycle basis. By adopting new methodologies along with Information Technology, optimal control of the projects at each phase of the project life cycle is feasible. Effective Project Management will facilitate achievement of desired outcome and time and cost over-runs could be minimised, resulting in substantial savings in expenditure.

---------- Post added at 01:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:47 AM ----------

Just and Update on Similar Topics.

 

[INDIAN007]

Way To go .............

 

[somebozo]

Way To go .............

Indiginisation means imported hardware from USA & Russia.
The categorisation of "indiginious" is pefrect in a sense that they will be financed with Indian money.
Do you want our French made JF-17's??

 

[Urbanized Greyhound]

Indiginisation means imported hardware from USA & Russia.
The categorisation of "indiginious" is pefrect in a sense that they will be financed with Indian money.
Do you want our French made JF-17's??

when Indians say indigenous they mean conceived and built in India down to the last nut , bolt and screw...... neither purchased of the shelf and renamed and repainted , nor purchased of the shelf and reverse engineered......

btw thanks for the JF-17 offer......but no thanks ....we are looking out for much more advanced capabilities available in the market....and we have the cash ....Euro fighters and Rafales are much more "cost effective".......

 

[somebozo]

when Indians say indigenous they mean conceived and built in India down to the last nut , bolt and screw......

Class 8 Short answers.

Name one sucessful weapons indigeniously built in India as per the concept described above?

 

[Urbanized Greyhound]

Class 8 Short answers.

Name one sucessful weapons indigeniously built in India as per the concept described above?

bro pick any of the so called "failed Indian projects" you guys often keep talking about....our entire missile program....our PARAM computer...our naval warships ....our Arihant....take your pick....
even for a lincenced aircraft
HAL builds every part of the MKI's here in Indian workshops now.....we give full and public acknowledgement to our defense sources when we import.....even when we engage in joint ventures....

 

[black flame]

Indiginisation means imported hardware from USA & Russia.
The categorisation of "indiginious" is pefrect in a sense that they will be financed with Indian money.
Do you want our French made JF-17's??

all those countries who are exporting / selling fighter planes and defense equipments have been doing it for more than 100 years now and except for china................. which is more of reversed engineered to compensate for those 100 years of research and development india cant sit and wait to gain those knowledge and then start up with it...... there are only 2 ways either reverse engineer it or buy the components which required and assemble it even jas grippen runs with us engine and ur jf 17 runs with RD engines which are just an example so stop talking same old bullshit here and more over if u are pointing out some ones mistakes u must be sure that u do not do it in the first place 1st develop any major defense equipment on ur own and then start criticize about indian arjun or the components in indigenous products...................

 

[trident2010]

^^ We can buy some of those for target practice , but hey our neighbour air-force deploying it in numbers, so we can practice with theirs ..