The quest for self-reliance in defence
high fiscal costs. However, the realisation of this objective — buy only make-in-india products — is predicated on a central assumption: That the domestic techno-industrial ecosystem has acquired the necessary competence to produce in a timely and cost-effective manner what the military needs, to acquire and sustain the optimum operational profile necessary to deal with the complex security challenges that are now more visible.
This proven competence level is yet to be arrived at. Consequently, while the intent is laudable, the wherewithal across the Indian military design, research and development (R&D) and manufacturing landscape need much greater infusion of resources — both material and human than what obtains now.
Successive governments have sought to prioritise the “make-in-india” objective but with limited success.
There is a paradox here, for India has attained a commendable degree of designcum-manufacturing sufficiency based on the indigenous effort in certain strategic capabilities — viz nuclear weapons, satellites, missiles and nuclear propulsion (albeit with Russian assistance) but not in the conventional arms domain.
Yes, some major platforms are assembled or made in India such as fighter aircraft or tanks (MIG and T-72) but according to an imported design. The one area where there has been a commendable success is in warship design and building but even here, the equipment that accords the naval ship its war-fighting capability, the ordnance (gunsmissiles) and the advanced surveillance are mostly imported.
Regrettably, there were a few design successes in the military domain. Though encouraging when they blossomed, they died a nascent death due to lack of strategic vision, political vacillation and institutional turf battles that turned venal. The story of the HF 24 fighter aircraft and the navy’s Advanced Panoramic Sonar Hull Mounted (APSOH) sonar is a case in point.
The bigger constraint in the Rajnath Singh announcement is that no additional funds are being earmarked to give a fillip to the new Make in India policy. Further, a pandemicafflicted economy will have little to spare for the military-defence complex to nurture R&D and design skills across the board.
The R&d-cum-design shortcomings in India are endemic and best illustrated by the saga of the combat boots. As a former army commander lamented, “India manufactures some of the best shoes in the world but the Indian army wears the worst combat boots in the world which has remained unchanged in design for 130 years.”