Maj Gen Mrinal Suman
Did the British Really Divide India to Rule?
While studying Indian history in school days, one was repeatedly told that the British resorted to ‘divide and rule’ policy to gain control over India. The tone and tenor…
When a Soldier Cries
The profession of arms is all about management of violence, destruction and death. As it is not easy to muster courage and nerve to kill other human beings, soldiers are…
Where are the real leaders?
The terrorist attack on Mumbai once again brought the issue of the quality of Indian political leadership in focus. Nearly 200 people lost their lives and left the nation humiliated.…
Public standing of the Indian military
A number of social scientists and military historians have been trying to discover reasons for Britain’s success in ruling the world while retaining its own independence throughout known history. Many…
Women in the Armed Forces: Misconceptions and Facts
The recent debate about the entry of women officers in the armed forces has been highly ill- informed and subjective in nature. People have taken stands and expressed opinion…
What makes nations great?
As India celebrates 62 years of Independence, one wonders as to what makes nations great. Why is the US an undisputed world power? Why has Britain remained undefeated for centuries?…
Veterans and Social Change
We, the veterans take pride in the fact that we belong to the noblest profession in the world – the profession of arms that ensures security of our country. ‘Once…
Specialised Force for Internal Unrests
Policy and methodology to counter the Naxalite threat have been subjects of intense debate recently. Army’s reluctance to get embroiled has been questioned in some government quarters. Sadly, opinions are…
Indo-US Military Trade: A Decade of Wasted Opportunities
India acknowledges the technological superiority of the US weapon systems and wants to develop and produce them through joint ventures. It seeks partnership and not a seller-buyer relationship. However, India…
Raising FDI Cap in Defence: Misplaced Euphoria?
It is time India makes up its mind whether it wants FDI in defence or not. If it is felt that FDI is not essential and India can achieve technological…
When commanders hear but do not listen
To most, hearing and listening are synonymous as both relate to the functions of the ear. However, the difference lies in the processing of the sound by the brain. In…
Pakistan is a rogue country and should be treated accordingly
Pakistan is at it again. Five soldiers have lost their lives. Indian leadership appears unfazed and wants to continue dialogue with Pakistan. One of the greatest misfortunes for India is…
Shooting in the Foot Services Style
Every organisation has its archetypal character and traits, some positive and some negative. The services are no exception. They have numerous good attributes but one major failing is their penchant…
FDI in Defence: Dispelling the Myths
India should adopt a flexible FDI policy to import much needed technologies which cannot be mastered through indigenous efforts in the acceptable time frame. Unfortunately, every time the issue of…
India Pays Dearly for Poorly Negotiated Arms Deals
It has recently been reported in the Israeli press that India paid more than double the amount for the purchase of three AWACS aircraft from Israel in March 2004. These…
Blacklisting Foreign Vendors
India has a penchant for blacklisting foreign arms producers without considering negative effects it has on India’s military preparedness. This is the reasons why recent reports of irregularities in the…
Superseded Officers: Handle them with Compassion
It is the saddest sight in any social gathering to find all superseded officers huddled together in a corner. They appear more comfortable interacting with each other, stay in the…
India as a defence manufacturing hub
Two major defence production related developments that took place nearly a decade ago need to be recalled here at the outset. One, having realised the limitations of the public sector,…
Military: Arrogance of Seniority
Search for recognition is one of the pursuits which all human beings indulge in and continuously strive for. For professionals, promotions and advancement in career are important aspects of their…
Aggressive Chinese designs and India’s utter timidity…
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, after holding talks with his counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing on 09 May 2013, told reporters that there was still no clarity on the reasons…
Culpability for Wastage of Funds by the Army Commanders
Elements inimical to the services are at it once again. Senior army commanders are being accused of wasting crores of rupees through improper purchases made under Special Financial Powers of…
How Bharat Electronics Dodges the Issues!
During the presentation made to the Feasibility Study Committee on 11 Feb 2009, a Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU) announced that it had executed orders worth 4,100 crore rupees during…
Protecting Public Sector Shipyards
India wants to develop its warship building capacity at an exponential rate. It is well nigh impossible for DPSU shipyards to meet the complete requirement of the Navy and…
The communication gap in Defence Procurement
Despite repeated assertions of the Government that the huge potential of the private sector must be tapped to achieve self sufficiency in defence production, little progress has been achieved…
Import of Key Technologies: Need to revisit policy
Inaugurating a three-day international seminar on aerospace technologies in Bengaluru on 07 February 2011, Defence Minister Antony admitted that India had not benefitted much from the technologies transferred to…
Military Leadership and Trial by Media
Health of democracies is directly proportional to the degree of independence enjoyed by their media. If India thrives as a vibrant democracy, a great deal of credit goes to…
Commercial evaluation is the weakest link
The Indian defence procurement process consists of two distinct phases – technical and commercial. In the first phase, detailed technical evaluation is carried out of all competing systems to…
Probity in Defence Procurements
Defence deals the world over are regularly subjected to intense scrutiny and investigations. Aspersions are often cast about lack of probity and underhand dealings. In Transparency International’s Global Bribe…
India needs independent defence think tanks
During his address at the 42nd Foundation Day function of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), the Vice President of India, Mr M Hamid Ansari stressed the…
Need for Multi-purpose Demining Systems
According to an assessment of the United Nations, there are more than 100 million mines lying buried in various present and past conflict zones in over 60 countries in…
Defence Purchases: time India asserts itself
Press reports have been highlighting Russian refusal to deliver aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov at the contracted price and within the agreed delivery period. It is demanding more money on…
Neglect of India’s frontier areas
Defence Minister of India, Mr AK Antony visited Nathu La in East Sikkim in the first week of December 2007 and was visibly taken aback to see the difference…
Middlemen in Defence Procurements
The role of middlemen in defence deals has been a subject of intense debate in India for decades now. The recent statement of the Prime Minister that India needs…
Defence Procurements: Need for Accountability Audit
Sluggish modernisation of the Indian armed forces has been a cause of serious concern to all who are concerned with national security. Whereas the process of modernisation is lagging…
Public Sector: survival through circumventing competition
The current equipment profile of the Indian Armed Forces has been a matter of serious disquiet to all those who are concerned with national security issues. Many wonder if…
Offsets in US Military Sales
According to some estimates, India is likely to spend close to USD 100 billion on capital acquisitions during the current plan period of 2007-12. Presently, imports account for nearly…
Defence Offset Facilitation Agency
Defence Offset Facilitation Agency (DOFA) has been established under the Department of Defence Production (DDP) as a single window agency to facilitate implementation of the offset policy of the Ministry…
Commonly used terms in Defence Offsets
Offsets can broadly be termed as formal arrangements of trade, wherein a foreign supplier undertakes specified programmes with a view to compensate the buyer as regards his procurement expenditure and…
Indian Defence Offset Regime: Need for Reforms
In any highly competitive trade environment, every seller has to make his offer irresistible and more lucrative than those of others. This is the basic canon of marketing. International…
Offset Banking
Offset banking implies generation and accumulation of offset credits prior to the award of the main contract. A bank of offset credits is created in anticipation of getting contracts to…
Strange priorities of the Indian media
An extract of the tribute paid by Rajeev Issar to the Late Major Manish Pitambare dated November 28, 2006 and circulated by email On Tuesday (November 27, 2006), this news…
When Commanders Become Bureaucrats
In late 1980s, an Engineer Regiment was asked to move to high altitude area as part of normal turn over of units. The regiment put in its demand for…
Defence Offsets: proving detrimental to the services
Post Kargil, Indian defence imports had been ranging between three to six billion dollars annually whereas defence exports had been stagnating at meagre 50 million dollars an year. Despite…
Doing business with the Indian Defence Regime
Credit is due to the Indian Ministry Of Defence (MoD) for its continuous endeavour to streamline the defence procurement procedures. There have been three revisions during the last four…
Play Safe Syndrome Rules Defence Procurements
It is a well accepted dictum in the corridors of MoD that not taking a decision is far less risky than taking one. Therefore, it is considered judicious to defer…
Ordeals of Decision-Making
During the Kargil conflict, stocks of a particular type of vital ammunition were running frightfully low. A delegation was rushed to the supplier nation to obtain additional supplies urgently. The…
Impediments to the Modernisation of the Indian Defence Forces
As an emerging economic and military power, India must possess armed forces that can guarantee security of its interests in a dynamic international geo-political environment. However, slow and tardy…
Defence Procurements : learning from past mistakes
“The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” John Powell Every review of defence procurements by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) highlights…
Selecting Military’s Top Brass
Indian armed forces have many unique organisational features. Most of them have been discussed frequently in public debates. One lesser known aspect is total lack of meritocracy in higher appointments.…
Need to Bridge Inter-Services Trust Deficit
Existing trust deficit amongst the three services is adversely affecting national defence preparedness and is the primary impediment in achieving the goal of jointmanship. Lack of mutual trust has…
