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India concerned over military gap with China

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Senior Indian military officers have voiced their concerns about a widening gap between India and China’s defense capabilities, as New Delhi falls behind in the modernization of its armed forces.

At a time when Beijing is unveiling advanced military hardware, including a prototype stealth fighter jet and its first aircraft carrier, India’s military establishment is increasingly critical of bureaucratic paralysis in New Delhi, where the government has been beset by anti-corruption protests.

Indian commanders say the government’s reluctance make decisions is severely hampering their ability to guard against a “collusive threat” from two nuclear-armed neighbors – China and its ally Pakistan.

“Our defense budget is $32 billion, China’s is $91.5 billion. Their unofficial spending probably takes the total to $150 billion. How are we going to match up?” said P.C. Katoch, a retired lieutenant general.

Col. Rajesh Kundra, director of the Perspective Planning Directorate at the Ministry of Defense, added that India’s defense budget has lacked consistency over the past six decades, “waxing and waning” in response to crises rather than preparing for them.

Their misgivings come as China becomes more assertive across the region. Last week, the Indian government acknowledged that one of its warships was challenged by the Chinese navy off the coast of Vietnam in late July. On Monday, China’s foreign ministry denied that there had been a confrontation.

While India is one of the biggest arms buyers in the world and maintains a 1-million-strong army, both serving and retired officers are critical of both the country’s strategic planning and politicians suspicious of military spending given the country’s pressing development needs.

“We have celebrated our 64th independence day, and we still don’t have a national security strategy,” Katoch said. “The ministry of defense does not have a set-up for strategic thinking.” He added that the 11th five-year defense plan had still not received official approval – even though it ends next year.

“The instruments of state action have become dysfunctional,” said K. Shankar Bajpai, the chairman of India’s National Security Advisory Board and former ambassador to the United States. “India’s strategic interests extend between the Suez and Shanghai . . . but we have neither the manpower nor the strategic thinking to handle these challenges.”

Indian commanders are particularly frustrated by delays surrounding the establishment of a Mountain Strike Corps along the country’s Himalayan border with China, in response to People’s Liberation Army-related infrastructure projects in Tibet.

Civil servants in the defense ministry have questioned the $2.6 billion deployment of high-altitude troops in the region, over which China and India fought a short war in 1962. “It’s mandatory that we develop our mountain warfare,” Kundra said. “Look how China has modernized infrastructure in the Tibetan autonomous area. We need to do the same on our side.”

— Financial Times

India concerned over military gap with China - The Washington Post

PS: The Chinese economy quadruples India's in absolute and per capita terms. With Chinese GDP growth outstripping India by 2%, India is falling further behind China, let alone "catching up."
 
Decent article - raises lots of issues that indians need to address.
We really dont need to catch up with china ( not that we can going by current growth rates) , all we need is to maintain a strong deterrent against chinese aggression and retain control of indian ocean and important trade routes. but unfortunately due to our inept and corrupt govt we might not even be able to do that.
 
Kennedy's political campaign revolved around bashing the Eisenhower administration of its failure to take action against the soviet threat. However, when Kennedy did win the contest, he realized the soviets were infact far behind the Americans in technology and stability. This was a time when the soviets came out with announcements of huge projects and infrastructure plans. The world assumed the soviets were at par or even ahead of the Unites states .

We need to keep in mind that, regardless of the propaganda, the Chinese are actively denied critical technologies that are available to India. Also, if our government/army spokesmen are to be believed, several tie-ups and deals have already been made by India under the radar and away from the media scanner.

Ultimately, China is a state facing sanctions and associated restrictions. Even with an increased spending, it would still take them a decade or two to gain parity with the United states technology of the 70's.

As for the statement by military chiefs, its a well known fact that militarily all over the world blow out of proportion the threats posed by its rival. I am not denying the article. My intention with this post was simply to suggest that Indians ought to take this news with a little bit of salt.
 
If Chinese generals dare to openly disagree with the government's military policies as Indian generals did, one can be certain the Western press will be overflown with pundits questioning Chinese government's ability to control the military.

Yes I will not reject ur point,since thats a credible one,may be because in India due to the political system prevailing here west consider military is given a little more freedom,while if the same happened in China the west consider it a rebellion.
 
Kennedy's political campaign revolved around bashing the Eisenhower administration of its failure to take action against the soviet threat. However, when Kennedy did win the contest, he realized the soviets were infact far behind the Americans in technology and stability. This was a time when the soviets came out with announcements of huge projects and infrastructure plans. The world assumed the soviets were at par or even ahead of the Unites states .

We need to keep in mind that, regardless of the propaganda, the Chinese are actively denied critical technologies that are available to India. Also, if our government/army spokesmen are to be believed, several tie-ups and deals have already been made by India under the radar and away from the media scanner.

Ultimately, China is a state facing sanctions and associated restrictions. Even with an increased spending, it would still take them a decade or two to gain parity with the United states technology of the 70's.

As for the statement by military chiefs, its a well known fact that militarily all over the world blow out of proportion the threats posed by its rival. I am not denying the article. My intention with this post was simply to suggest that Indians ought to take this news with a little bit of salt.

i see where you are getting at, but the soviet union didn't exactly have much of an economy.. while the chinese economy is currently the 2nd in the world and projected to overtake the us economy in less than a few decades to become the largest.

and in regards to critical technologies you speak of, what does india have that china does not?
 
i see where you are getting at, but the soviet union didn't exactly have much of an economy.. while the chinese economy is currently the 2nd in the world and projected to overtake the us economy in less than a few decades to become the largest.

and in regards to critical technologies you speak of, what does india have that china does not?

Economy does not necessarily translate into military prowess. As for the second question, i recommend visiting the Indian defence subforum for a list of known acquisitions and projects.
 
Senior Indian military officers have voiced their concerns about a widening gap between India and China’s defense capabilities, as New Delhi falls behind in the modernization of its armed forces.

Smoke screen to get more money for Indian military defense...What else can I say. Pakistanis generals can write a similar article too about Indian defense too.
 
Ultimately, China is a state facing sanctions and associated restrictions. Even with an increased spending, it would still take them a decade or two to gain parity with the United states technology of the 70's.

So in your view they are still where the US is at in the 50's. :unsure:
 
oh really? LOL

i see where you are getting at, but the soviet union didn't exactly have much of an economy.. while the chinese economy is currently the 2nd in the world and projected to overtake the us economy in less than a few decades to become the largest.

and in regards to critical technologies you speak of, what does india have that china does not? .
Your economy getting in Deeper problem now inflation rate jump from 5 % to 6,5 %.

China Inflation Quickening to 6.5% Limits Policy Response to Global Crisis
Enlarge image China 6.5% Inflation Limits Policy Response to Global Crisis

A vendor and customer exchange Chinese yuan bank notes at a market in Beijing, China. Consumer prices climbed 6.5 percent from a year earlier as food costs surged. Photographer: Adam Dean/Bloomberg
China Must Be `Dramatic' on Inflation, Aug. 9

Consumer prices climbed 6.5 percent from a year earlier as food costs surged, reports from the Beijing-based National Bureau of Statistics showed today. That was more than the 6.4 percent median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey of 26 economists. In June, inflation was 6.4 percent.

.

China Inflation Quickening to 6.5% Limits Policy Response to Global Crisis - Bloomberg

no_name said:
So in your view they are still where the US is at in the 50's

Correct, USA walked on the Moon in 1969, and at that time, they had all kind of weapon CHina have now ,but CHina still can not make her own jet engine or walk on the Moon like US during 60's.
 
Economy does not necessarily translate into military prowess. As for the second question, i recommend visiting the Indian defence subforum for a list of known acquisitions and projects.

you are right that military prowess not always related economy, like russia for example. India may easily become military prowess because that is what the west and japanese want. they may give all weapons to india for free but india must constraint china for them!
 
Correct, USA walked on the Moon in 1969, and at that time, they had all kind of weapon CHina have now ,but CHina still can not make her own jet engine or walk on the Moon like US during 60's.

So if Vietnam do not have nuke now she is 50+ years behind China and 100+ years behind US? Nice.
 
no_name said:
So if Vietnam do not have nuke now she is 50+ years behind China and 100+ years behind US? Nice.
Nuke is diffirent, we will got UN sanction if trying to have it, jet engine and walking on the Moon are free to do, but CHina just can not make it.

btw: we defeated US even when she could walked on the Moon, but CHina still can not take Taiwan back from US's hand :P
 

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