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India needs to shore up defences - Gulf News

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India needs to shore up defences - Gulf News

India's budget for 2011-12, presented to parliament on February 28, pegged the defence outlays at $36 billion (Dh132.12 billion). The amount, to be spent in the coming fiscal year spanning from April 2011 to March 2012, is a 12 per cent increase over the previous budget.

This growth rate is the highest in the recent years, if one excludes the year 2010 when the budget was increased by 34 per cent mainly to accommodate the pay rise of the 1.3 million strong armed forces.

The hefty growth of the defence budget has infused a degree of optimism among the broader Indian strategic community which is rather frustrated witnessing the country's paltry budgetary provisions for national defence, especially when juxtaposed against China's military capability.

The optimism notwithstanding, doubts still loom whether the new budget is the beginning of an upward trend in defence spending or a one-off blip that will fade because of the inherent weakness in India's procurement procedures and processes.

Given the historical animosity in bilateral relations, the military capability of China is a major concern in India. Over the last two years in particular, this concern has grown in view of the China's assertiveness in the Indian Ocean region and its strategic infrastructure build-up in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and Tibet.

The security establishment in New Delhi increasingly believes that Beijing's hardened stance and its military activity around India is likely to intensify with its growing military and economic power.

The national consensus in India has therefore been to rapidly strengthen the capability of its armed forces so as to avoid a potential 1962-type embarrassment.

Compared to the annual double-digit growth in China's military spending for the last 20 years, Indian defence expenditure has been largely directionless. India's defence budget has grown by 10 per cent or more only in nine years. As a result, the difference between the actual military spending of two countries, which was negligible 20 years ago, has increased to three times in favour of China.

New technology

Consequently, while Beijing is now boasting of a credible defence backed by intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear submarines, anti-satellite weapons and components of fifth-generation fighter aircraft, India lags years behind in those capabilities.

The difference in the military balance is so wide that India cannot imagine bridging it any time soon. The new defence budget has however ameliorated the situation somewhat, increasing the procurement budget by more than 25 per cent to over $12 billion. The money will be used for big-ticket items, including advanced fighter jets, tactical airlift aircraft and air-to-air missiles.

More significantly, the new budget has provided momentum for acquisitions in the years ahead. If the current plan goes well, New Delhi's arms acquisition will be in excess of $100 billion in the coming decade. A large part of the budget will be spent on the navy and air force, which are seeking a transformational role far beyond Indian shores.

Sea power

The navy, for instance is aspiring for true blue-water capability, with at least two carrier-led battle groups supported by nuclear submarines, stealth frigates, long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft, and a host of other associated weapons and platforms.

As the historical trend suggests, India is not capable of sustaining its defence expenditure at a consistent pace for an extended period of time.

Although part of the reason is ascribed to fluctuating economic growth and the country's huge socio-economic requirements, a large part is also due to weakness in defence planning and budget execution processes.

Unlike China, which undertakes defence planning under the supervision of the highest political authority and commits defence spending accordingly, Indian defence planning is restricted to the defence ministry and its associated organisations.

Without approval from the higher political leadership, the spending requirement is decided between the ministries of finance and defence based on the fiscal situation and competing demands from various ministries. This has lead to uneven growth in annual defence expenditure.

Without reform in planning process and involvement of the higher political leadership, there is no assurance that the defence budget will be sustained as per the requirement of the defence forces.

China regularly revises its defence spending upwards midway through the budgetary period, but this is hardly the case in India. At the execution level, India's defence budget, particularly procurement, is fraught with numerous weaknesses leading to the haemorrhage of funds.

Between 2000 and 2010, the defence ministry surrendered a cumulative total of nearly $10 billion from its allotted budgets. :hitwall: :hitwall: :hitwall:

This has not only adversely affected the modernisation needs of the armed forces, but has also restricted the growth of defence expenditure. :hitwall: :hitwall:

Given the rapid pace of China's military modernisation, India has little option, but to strengthen its own defence through a steady increase in defence spending. To do so, India requires a robust approach towards its defence management by way of involving the higher political leadership in defence planning and by creating an efficient procurement system.


gulfnews : India needs to shore up defences
 
YUP!! Its true...If we consider china in mind .....we need to build our defence capabilities i was expecting that Gov. should increase the defence Budget upto $40 billion....but they did'nt...:(
 
YUP!! Its true...If we consider china in mind .....we need to build our defence capabilities i was expecting that Gov. should increase the defence Budget upto $40 billion....but they did'nt...:(

Govt. cant increase defense allocations to such an extent in one go. Upward allocations should be gradual and continuous. The important thing is that a well thought out doctrine and a plan to operationalize it through strategic decisions and financial backing should be the aim.

Its time indian govt. pull up their socks for being lackadaisic in past.
 

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