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Answer to Chinas muscle power
Published April 24, 2013
SOURCE: NEW INDIAN EXPRESS
Indias latest face-off with China has once again underlined the challenge of confronting its increasing muscle power. In March this year China increased its defence budget from $106 billion in 2012-13 to $119 billion. In comparison, Indias defence allocation is merely $37 billion. It is a matter of small satisfaction that the finance minister stated in his speech that The Minister of Defence has been most understanding, and I assure him and the House that constraints will not come in the way of providing any additional requirement for the security of the nation.
This understanding between the defence minister and the finance minister has to be viewed in the background of the reports that in the last financial year the finance ministry made a drastic cut of `10,000 crores from the allocations of the defence ministry in the last quarter.
It is true that China has almost twice the strength of armed forces as compared to India. While armed forces in India are anywhere between 11 lakhs and 12 lakhs China has more the 23 lakh armed personnel. China also has twice the number of aircraft fighters as compared to India. As far as submarines are concerned China has more than four times the number of submarines India has. Taking these factors into account perhaps the increased defence budget of China is a logical corollary.
While China has reduced its massive dependence on imported defence equipment, India has gone completely the other way and increased its defence imports. It has become the largest importer of defence equipment. These imports are reported to have gone up from $1257 million in 2007 to $3337 million in 2011. With big ticket purchases still continuing, cost of imports will go up in the coming years China has already commissioned its first aircraft carrier and is building more to make an effective blue water presence. In contrast the first indigenously built carrier being maufactured in Kochi will come up only in 2018. Similarly China is developing different types of stealth aircraft as well as stealth frigates. We seem to have got stuck up on transfer of technology issues and have not yet developed technology in this area.
India has the advantage of having nine defence public sector undertakings, each of which caters to a specified class of products. The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is producing SU-30 MKI multirole fighter, Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer, Light Combat Aircraft, Intermediate Jet Trainers, Dorniers, Advanced Light helicopters as well as smaller Chetak type helicopters HAL has also ten R & D centres. Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has core competencies in areas of radar and weapons system as well as electronic warfare systems. There are four shipyards also producing ships, warships and submarines as well as frigates. The disadvantage these public sector undertakings have is that they are not futuristic in thinking and are slow in absorbing new concepts. They are only looking for transfer of technology from the firms selling to India. It is shocking to note that Bharat Dynamics Limited which started off with the manufacture of anti-tank guided missiles has not been successful in engendering enough confidence to the Army, which is still seeking such missiles from Israel. The only success they seem to have achieved is in producing indigenously developed Prithvi tactical missile as well as the surface to air Akash missile. India has 40 ordnance factories which are traditionally producing small arms, artillery guns, explosives and assault rifles.
Why, one may ask, are they, i.e., the public sector undertakings and the ordnance factories, not producing the items that are being imported. The defence sector was opened up to 100 per cent for Indian private sector participation with Foreign Direct Investment upto 26 per cent in May 2001. More than 17 joint ventures have been formed but so far nothing substantial has emerged. The defence forces urgently need ultra light howitzers, towed and wheeled 155mm guns, mounted gun systems, third generation anti-tank guided missiles and surface to air missiles of different ranges. It is surprising that even though the offset clause of 30 per cent is in operation we are unable to manufacture the weapon system and the equipment which our defence forces need. There is a lack of coordination at the highest levels. The answer to this could probably lie in setting uo a committee under the defence minister to coordinate private sector participation. This must have private sector companies, interested in defence production, on board.
To speed up procurement the government must also think of out of the box solutions. One could think of, for instance, getting defence procurement out of the governmental system and let procurement being done by a specialised agency acting as an independent autonomous organisation. It could be manned by experts, both financial and military. Once the procurement of a particular weapon system is finalised the proposal should go to the government for release of funds only.
With China, India faces two types of threats. The first is on the immediate land borders where China has strengthened its communications as well as beefed up its armed forces. It has openly bared its claim to Arunachal. To meet this threat India has already planned to induct 90,000 troops along the India- China border in the next five years. India is also planning to station the Sukhoi fighters as well as the all-powerful Brahmos missile in that area. With rapid construction of communication lines, India should be able to restrict any Chinese thrust here.
The second threat is the regional threat with China asserting itself in the South China sea and the East China sea. India is left with no option but to increase its naval presence with an aircraft carrier as well as Brahmos equipped submarines. It must also team up with like-minded countries in the region like Malaysia, Thailand and Japan to contain China. The defence ministry must ask for allocation of more funds and at the same time improve its capacity to spend.
Defence research has to be given a greater priority and body shopping of specialised defence scientists should be done from all over the world. It is only indigenous research and indigenous manufacturing capacity which can give us an edge. The defence minister has been stressing on this aspect for some time, but he must now concretise his thinking and evolve a time-bound plan to materialise this strategy.
The author is a former defence secretary.
Published April 24, 2013
SOURCE: NEW INDIAN EXPRESS
Indias latest face-off with China has once again underlined the challenge of confronting its increasing muscle power. In March this year China increased its defence budget from $106 billion in 2012-13 to $119 billion. In comparison, Indias defence allocation is merely $37 billion. It is a matter of small satisfaction that the finance minister stated in his speech that The Minister of Defence has been most understanding, and I assure him and the House that constraints will not come in the way of providing any additional requirement for the security of the nation.
This understanding between the defence minister and the finance minister has to be viewed in the background of the reports that in the last financial year the finance ministry made a drastic cut of `10,000 crores from the allocations of the defence ministry in the last quarter.
It is true that China has almost twice the strength of armed forces as compared to India. While armed forces in India are anywhere between 11 lakhs and 12 lakhs China has more the 23 lakh armed personnel. China also has twice the number of aircraft fighters as compared to India. As far as submarines are concerned China has more than four times the number of submarines India has. Taking these factors into account perhaps the increased defence budget of China is a logical corollary.
While China has reduced its massive dependence on imported defence equipment, India has gone completely the other way and increased its defence imports. It has become the largest importer of defence equipment. These imports are reported to have gone up from $1257 million in 2007 to $3337 million in 2011. With big ticket purchases still continuing, cost of imports will go up in the coming years China has already commissioned its first aircraft carrier and is building more to make an effective blue water presence. In contrast the first indigenously built carrier being maufactured in Kochi will come up only in 2018. Similarly China is developing different types of stealth aircraft as well as stealth frigates. We seem to have got stuck up on transfer of technology issues and have not yet developed technology in this area.
India has the advantage of having nine defence public sector undertakings, each of which caters to a specified class of products. The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is producing SU-30 MKI multirole fighter, Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer, Light Combat Aircraft, Intermediate Jet Trainers, Dorniers, Advanced Light helicopters as well as smaller Chetak type helicopters HAL has also ten R & D centres. Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has core competencies in areas of radar and weapons system as well as electronic warfare systems. There are four shipyards also producing ships, warships and submarines as well as frigates. The disadvantage these public sector undertakings have is that they are not futuristic in thinking and are slow in absorbing new concepts. They are only looking for transfer of technology from the firms selling to India. It is shocking to note that Bharat Dynamics Limited which started off with the manufacture of anti-tank guided missiles has not been successful in engendering enough confidence to the Army, which is still seeking such missiles from Israel. The only success they seem to have achieved is in producing indigenously developed Prithvi tactical missile as well as the surface to air Akash missile. India has 40 ordnance factories which are traditionally producing small arms, artillery guns, explosives and assault rifles.
Why, one may ask, are they, i.e., the public sector undertakings and the ordnance factories, not producing the items that are being imported. The defence sector was opened up to 100 per cent for Indian private sector participation with Foreign Direct Investment upto 26 per cent in May 2001. More than 17 joint ventures have been formed but so far nothing substantial has emerged. The defence forces urgently need ultra light howitzers, towed and wheeled 155mm guns, mounted gun systems, third generation anti-tank guided missiles and surface to air missiles of different ranges. It is surprising that even though the offset clause of 30 per cent is in operation we are unable to manufacture the weapon system and the equipment which our defence forces need. There is a lack of coordination at the highest levels. The answer to this could probably lie in setting uo a committee under the defence minister to coordinate private sector participation. This must have private sector companies, interested in defence production, on board.
To speed up procurement the government must also think of out of the box solutions. One could think of, for instance, getting defence procurement out of the governmental system and let procurement being done by a specialised agency acting as an independent autonomous organisation. It could be manned by experts, both financial and military. Once the procurement of a particular weapon system is finalised the proposal should go to the government for release of funds only.
With China, India faces two types of threats. The first is on the immediate land borders where China has strengthened its communications as well as beefed up its armed forces. It has openly bared its claim to Arunachal. To meet this threat India has already planned to induct 90,000 troops along the India- China border in the next five years. India is also planning to station the Sukhoi fighters as well as the all-powerful Brahmos missile in that area. With rapid construction of communication lines, India should be able to restrict any Chinese thrust here.
The second threat is the regional threat with China asserting itself in the South China sea and the East China sea. India is left with no option but to increase its naval presence with an aircraft carrier as well as Brahmos equipped submarines. It must also team up with like-minded countries in the region like Malaysia, Thailand and Japan to contain China. The defence ministry must ask for allocation of more funds and at the same time improve its capacity to spend.
Defence research has to be given a greater priority and body shopping of specialised defence scientists should be done from all over the world. It is only indigenous research and indigenous manufacturing capacity which can give us an edge. The defence minister has been stressing on this aspect for some time, but he must now concretise his thinking and evolve a time-bound plan to materialise this strategy.
The author is a former defence secretary.
