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India’s defence industry came under sharp scrutiny on Friday after Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Anil Chauhan issued a direct call for accountability, warning that repeated delays, over-promising, and inflated claims were undermining military preparedness.
Speaking at an event in Delhi, Gen. Chauhan said the armed forces expected “nationalism and patriotism” to guide private-sector ambitions, not just profit motives.
“Our expectation from the industry is simple. We expect a bit of nationalism and patriotism in your profit-driven endeavours,” he said.
Gen. Chauhan revealed that the Army had flagged repeated lapses during evaluations for the fifth and sixth Equipment Procurement (EP) cycles. “Most of the people have over-promised and failed to deliver within the time frame. This is unacceptable,” he said.
‘Defence reforms are not a one-way street’
Calling for honesty in capability claims, the CDS said companies must stop obscuring gaps in indigenous technology.
“Industry will have to be truthful about its capabilities. You can’t leave us in the lurch. If you sign a contract and don’t deliver on time, a capability is being lost,” he warned.
Highlighting concerns around security vulnerabilities, he criticised firms that misrepresent the level of indigenous content. “A lot of industries say something is 70% Indian, but when you check, it’s not. You have to be truthful because this is about national security,” he said.
‘You must be globally competitive, not overpriced’
Gen. Chauhan stressed that Make-in-India defence manufacturing would succeed only if the private sector met global benchmarks in terms of quality and pricing.
“You have to be cost-competitive, not just for selling to the Indian armed forces, but so you can sell in the international market. You can’t have overpriced products,” he cautioned.
