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In these troubled times, the question of safety is paramount, and nothing concerns a nationalistic regime like ours more than national security and defense. The Indian Military has gone through many highs and lows while dealing with both international issues like instability in the neighborhoods and domestic issues that stem from politics.
1. Focus -
In the new century, India's defense budget has favored the air and marine forces, which has caused a soaring demand for increasing the ground forces at the frontier. The confrontations with China and Pakistan have led to the formation of the mountain strike corps and two varying opinions about how to deal with Chinese border pressure.
One emphasizes on being defensive on land and focusing on the superiority of the navy in the Indian Ocean to threaten China's imports and economy. The other focuses on land forces, stressing the strengthening of defense infrastructure along the border area so that we are capable of a strong counterattack in the event of armed conflict.
2. Current Capability -
In terms of active manpower and the number of ships and planes, our armed forces are already among the world’s top five. Having revealed its nuclear capability in 1998 with a series of tests, India has developed its own ground-hugging cruise missiles and is trying to perfect submarine-launched intercontinental ones, too.
While India is the largest importer of arms, it still lacks adequate defense equipment and technology. The army has still failed to provide soldiers with adequate body armor, antiquated MiG-21 fighter jets still patrol the skies and the navy’s shipbuilding program is a decade behind schedule.
3. Defense budget -
While India is the largest importer of arms, it still lacks adequate defense equipment and technology. The army has still failed to provide soldiers with adequate body armor, antiquated MiG-21 fighter jets still patrol the skies and the navy’s shipbuilding program is a decade behind schedule.
3. Defense budget -
Despite the current regime's chest-thumping, the defense budget has actually shrunk over the past decade as a proportion of GDP and is far below China’s in dollar terms. In the budget for the financial year 2019-20, presented by the Finance Minister Smt Nirmala Sitharaman, Rs 3,18,931.22 crore had been earmarked for Defence (excluding Defence Pension).
The controversial and newly added fleet of Dassault Rafale from France.
- INS Arighat (the government is also in the market for six missile warships and other vessels worth $2.2bn.)
- Russia’s S-400 missile defense system
- Agni-5, it's an intercontinental ballistic missile.
5. Future Plan -
India has finalized a road map to spend USD 130 billion in the next five to seven years to modernize the armed forces and bolster their combat capabilities. The plan includes the new position of the CDS or Chief of Defence Staff. The government's plan is to include -
- 1,700 future-ready combat vehicles
- 110 multirole fighter aircraft
- 200 ships and 24 attack submarines
With possibly tumultuous times looking ahead of us in the form of a conflict with China, we must always remember that it is crucial that we invest in our Armed Forces beyond tokenistic reforms and give our soldiers their due in the form of tangible support and moral appreciation and dignity.
Written by - Kshitij Barua, BA Economics (Hons.) Shri Ram College of a Commerce.
Edited by - Bushra Makhdoomi
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