BJP begins the reform agenda in defence, says Gautam Datt

The government is one month old now and can easily escape performance audit as it is too short a period to pass a judgment on its discharge.

Narendra Modi and Arun Jaitley

What needs to be noticed at this stage is if it has made right noises to shape the future of country's defence. It has not been a flying start but the armed forces have got the favourable signals in these early days of interaction with the new political leadership.

The government got started by taking a call on the long pending decisions on increasing the Foreign Direct Investment cap in the defence sector and de-regulating production of components used in the weapon industry.

The three service chiefs, who met the Prime Minister on Monday, have got a sense the new dispensation is extremely conscious about requirement of the services and want to build a strong defence.

A breath of fresh air is blowing which can give rise to some out of the box ideas to end the era of uncertainty. The defence ministry has been plagued far too long by what has come to be known as the "anonymous letter syndrome" that had imprisoned the entire modernisation drive. Such was nervousness quotient in decision making that an anonymous complaint was enough to scuttle the procurement process.

A rationale thought process from the political leadership is required to address some of the fundamental questions about the country's security and the armed forces.

The armed forces are downsizing all over the world because of the economic constraint but India is perhaps one of the few countries where the services are expanding. The army has started the process of raising a new corps, a force of around 90,000 soldiers, meant for the China front. Such major expansion over the next decade or so is expected to cost over Rs 64,000 crore.

This is when one of the major tasks of the army in recent years has been the anti-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast. There is more army fighting militancy in J&K than guarding the borders. PRIME Minister Narendra Modi was on his maiden visit to Jammu and Kashmir last week. He talked about the hardships being faced by the people in the state and focused on the development of the region.

One of the key demands of the people in the valley especially has been the partial relief from the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). The army continues to pose stiff resistance which has been backed by the BJP. It is going to be a tough call for the prime minister but the issue should not be left hanging for long.

Relieving the burden of counterinsurgency operations, which drains the revenue budget, from the army by handing it over to the para-military forces could bring in change. The defence modernisation should focus on building capability rather than numbers. It is upto the new government to decide if wants to walk on the beaten track or chart its own course. Expansion of Indian Air Force and the navy is key to the capability enhancement as the two are technology driven services and can provide the power to strike where it hurts most.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shown the penchant for thinking differently. His move to invitee South Asian leaders for his swearing in ceremony was one such step. It should be now be expanded to military diplomacy levels as well.

The Indian army forces are now geared to take up bigger role in south and the south-east Asian region. The level of interaction needs to be enhanced as many countries have indicated that India should be more forthcoming than it is today.

A proactive policy is being advocated to deal with the neighbours so that they don't turn towards China has been the tendency so far.

Much has been talked about relentless efforts by Beijing to spread its influence in India's backyard. India's military strength makes it a natural leader in region and it can pursue its goals without being intimidating.

The new government also needs to involve service chiefs directly in the decision making process. Prime Minister Modi has already dropped enough hints that he would take direct inputs from the people incharge of the operations as it clears the webs and offer clarity. In the hope offered by the government, the armed forces are sensing an opportunity to address key concerns.

Forces expect a lot from this Budget

Arun Jaitley might be only a temporary charge of the defence ministry but the three services are not complaining. The general sense among the top brass is that Jaitley, who is also the finance minister, would understand the need for capital-intensive requirements of the armed forces.

Armed forces hope the Minister will speed up acquisitions.

Past experience has shown that the big ticket purchases of the three services would often hit the finance ministry wall leading to several rounds of clarifications and objections. The process resulted in enormous delays that added to the slow pace of acquisition. After detailed briefings from the three services, the defence minister Arun Jaitley has been extensively briefed about their requirements and he is now better placed to understand the urgency. And as he prepares to draft his budget, it is hoped that the defence forces will get their share despite the current difficult economic situation.

After addressing the naval commanders conference, Arun Jaitley had made it clear that adequate funds would be made available for the projects in pipeline. The navy alone has 38 warships and six submarines at various stages of construction.

The IAF is looking to buy 126 French Rafale fighters under an estimated $20 billion contract. It is also negotiating for 22 Apache attack helicopters and 15 Chinook heavy lift helicopters apart from six Airbus refuellers.

The army's major force accretion process is underway as it raises a new corps. Ahead of India presents its budget, Pakistan has hiked its defence allocation by 11 per cent.

A recent report suggested that India's defence spending is just one third that of China. The march of the adversaries is expected to be factored in when the funds are being allocated.