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The Platform for Indian Defence Industry
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF'S NOTE
The narrative of this newsletter can but begin with nothing other than the fact of Manohar Parrikar leaving the Defence portfolio behind as he boarded the flight to Goa. A hung assembly, Parrikar's huge popularity across party lines in Goa and an apparent decision by the BJP to disallow their prime political rival to form a ministry were enough to propel the exit of a Defence Minister who enjoyed wide acceptance by most stake holders. The top brass of the forces have barely ever lamented a change of Defence Ministers, but on this occasion, it was a different story. The response of the Indian Defence Industries (IDI) is similar. Parrikar was instrumental in the MoD becoming a more vibrant establishment; the vigour needs to be sustained by his successors.
The Finance Minister has stepped in, obviously as a stop-gap measure, but it's most important that a competent and decisive minister is placed at the helm soon to keep defence modernization on course. At stake also is a lot more for the armed forces, with resolving of the anomalies of 7th Pay Commission being on top of the list. Whether Jaitley will be able to balance the two hats that he will wear, is yet to be seen.
The major event that we co-hosted along with HQ Integrated defence Staff, post the publication of the last newsletter, was the Foreign Defence Attaches conclave at the United Services Institute in the capital on 23 February 2017. As compared to our FDAs'conclave in August 2016, this was a far more restricted gathering. The objective was to promote export of Indian Defence equipment and serve the Make in India initiative. FDAs of only such countries as are interested in procuring defence equipment and services from the IDI, were invited. Six IDIs, to include Mazagon Dock and Shipbuilders Ltd, Tata Motors, Solar Industries, Zen Technologies, Star Group and MKU Ltd participated. They acquainted the FDAs with products and services that could interest their respective countries. These companies will need to build on the platform that the conclave provided and pursue with their marketing. The feedback from the FDAs is most encouraging, while that from the companies is overwhelming.
In the news was the Chinese Defence Budget at just over a trillion Yuan, it surpasses the India allocation by over two-and-half times. The Americans are of course planning one of their highest annual increases under Trump. Their budget exceeds the Chinese allocations by over three times. Trump wants a 12 Aircraft Carrier Navy.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence in its report pointed out inadequacy of outlay for defence and warned that force modernization and moral of the services will be detrimentally affected by the inadequate allotment of funds. Such reports, however, have rarely moved governments in the past.
As we step into the post Parrikar era in the Ministry of Defence, many complex issues will pose challenges for the new Defence Minister. Among these are the appointment of a CDS, force restructuring, increasing our ammunition holdings and of course enhancing the pace of force modernization. 7th Pay Commission issues also require immediate resolution. Most of all, the new Defence Minister will need to take a tough stance on enhanced budget allocation. The current 1.62 percent of GDP that we are providing for the Defence Budget needs an upward raise immediately.
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SOME OF OUR SPECIAL FEATURES THIS MONTH
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EVENTS
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Taking Make in India Forward
We at BharatShakti.in, along with HQ Integrated Defence Staff, organised a Roundtable for Defence Attaches to push the envelope of the Make in India call further at the United Services Institute, New Delhi. It was a focused interaction between Foreign Defence Attaches (FDAs) and representatives of the Indian Defence Industry (IDI). It was meant to serve the Attaches' in their task of sourcing quality defence equipment from the Indian market that is maturing at a rapid pace and is capable of meeting global parameters with cost effective price tags. Details are in the Editor's Note above. Read More...
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National Interests and Social Media - Covert Engineering!
Uma Sudhindra
Social media tools have become powerful platforms for communication. Currently, they are rather too loosely governed to protect the interests of the State from a security lapse with terrorists using the same media for their ends. The author, after an analysis of the prevalent status, offers a few solutions that protect both the individual and the state Read More... |
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Standing Committee can Ensure Outcome-oriented Monitoring of Defence Budget
Amit Cowshish
The Standing Committee for Defence has the onerous role of advising about the right amount of allocation under the Defence Head and optimal utilisation of allocated funds by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). However, it's debatable whether or not the Standing Committee's recommendations are given due weightage. Amit Cowshish analyses the connected issues and offers a few answers to make the system more effective. Read More... |
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Hold your horses: The Army is not seeking impunity
Nitin A Gokhale
Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat's tough statement warning trouble makers in Kashmir to desist from obstructing opera-tions by his troops or else face the consequences has evoked expected reactions. There was one section-and I don't want to call them intellectuals-which pays lip service to the fauj but in reality stands against everything that the army seeks to protect and defend. Read More... |
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The New Carotids Of China
Lt Gen P R Shankar (Retd)
The China-Pakistan-Economic-Corridor (CPEC) has evoked high decibel responses in India. The fact that it runs through territory that Indians claim as theirs, may deny the corridor legitimacy in an international court. Given the fact of the Chinese losing their case for islands in the South China Sea, are they capable of absorbing another such reverse again. Read More... |
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The Indian Missile Journey
Maj Gen P K Chakravorty (Retd)
India has traversed a long mile in the arena of missile technology. The author takes the reader on a perceptive stroll through the Indian missile development programme and also provides an overview of what its northern and western adversaries threaten it with. Today, for a country that espouses "No First Use," the Indian missile capabilities have de-veloped adequately to serve as a substantial component of our nuclear deterrence. Read More... |
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India's Defence Policy: Issues & Perspectives
Maj Gen Nitin Gadkari (Retd)
In the absence of formally defined National Interests and a National Security Policy framework, a fair amount of adhocism characterises our defence planning. With rising threat levels and our endeavours at becoming a reckonable military power capable of providing regional stability, it's important for us to initiate a more structured approach to defence planning both in terms stating of our objectives and equipping our armed forces to achieve these. The author attempts to identify the lacunae and proposes a few measures to address the myriad issues involved. Read More... |
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Parrikar's Will Be a Hard Act to Follow
Nitin A Gokhale
In a span of 28 months Manohar Parrikar had developed easy relationships with the top brass of the three services; as has rarely ever been witnessed. He threw caution to the winds and managed to pull the forces out of a downward spiral in operational capabilities. Surprisingly, even as the MoD cleared a total of 124 new contracts worth Rs 2,09,751 crores since the Modi government came to power, not a single case of graft has come to light. However, the unfinished agenda after years of sloth yet remains a massive challenge. Nitin A Gokhale, Founder -BharatShakti.in takes stock of what the Minister achieved and the challenges that will dog his successor. Read More... |
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At BharatShakti.in, our RFI/RFP pages attempt to inform you of business opportunities. While the Industry Capabilities listing page gives you details of various IDIs, their product range, niche capabilities and contact information, thus easing your search for the right partner for your business activities. Our Policy page is a repository of knowledge, hosting relevant government and departmental documents required for transacting in the area defence production. It also devotes space to FAQs on defence procurement that would be updated.
We at BharatShakti.in invite you all to be a part of our team. Do visit our pages regularly. Write to us, list your defence capabilities with us and engage with us. It's BharatShakti's faith and belief that the Indian Defence Industry is capable of addressing most of the requirements of Indian Armed Forces.
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