Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal on India’s Defence Preparedness
The contract for 145 BAE M777 ultra-light howitzers was the first Indian artillery order in over three decades
With attempts at infiltration being made virtually every night and frequent exchanges of small arms and artillery fire, the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan is more active than it has been in the last five years. The number of terrorist attacks in Kashmir has also risen sharply this summer. The stand-off with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at Doklam has stretched to two months. The rhetoric being spewed out by the Chinese government-controlled media is getting shriller by the day. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) now under construction will lead to further increase in their military collusion.
The net effect of India’s deteriorating security environment will be that the country will be confronted with a two-front situation during future conflict. With the dogs of war barking in the distance, in Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal on India’s Defence Preparedness ‘Critical Hollowness’ July, the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) of India released a disquieting report about continuing ammunition shortages. There are large-scale deficiencies in other important military items of equipment as well. Addressing the inadequacies in the state of India’s defence preparedness, termed as ‘critical hollowness’ by former army chief General VK Singh, merits the government’s urgent attention.
Deficiencies in ammunition have an adverse impact on the ability to sustain military operations over the period of time that is necessary. According to the CAG, in March 2013, 50 per cent of the different categories of weapons (including tanks and artillery guns) had stocks for less than ten days of fighting. Since then, there has been some improvement, but for 40 per cent of its weapons, the army still holds stocks for less than ten days of conflict.
The Kargil conflict in 1999 lasted 50 days and we must acknowledge that any future border conflict may also be prolonged. During the Kargil conflict, 50,000 rounds of 155 mm artillery ammunition had to be imported from South Africa. The occurrence of such a critical situation during a time of crisis must be avoided through a prudent replenishment and stocking policy.
The army’s sister services are no better off. While the Indian navy is far from acquiring the capabilities of a blue water navy, the People’s Liberation Army navy is getting ready to sail into the Indian Ocean, and is acquiring bases and port facilities in fast-forward mode. Over the last five years, the Indian navy has had major accidents on board submarines INS Sindhurakshak and INS Sindhuratna. In another accident, submarine batteries that should have been replaced much earlier were still being used due to inordinately long acquisition procedures. Meanwhile, the indigenous production of six Scorpene submarines has been delayed by almost five years.
From its peak at 39 squadrons over a decade ago, the fighting strength of the Indian air force has gone down to 32-33 squadrons, whereas 42-45 squadrons will actually be required to meet future threats and challenges. Obsolescent fighter aircraft like MiG-21s and MiG-27s and vintage helicopters are still in service. The holding of surface-to-air missile systems for air defence operations is grossly inadequate as indigenous research and development projects have been plagued by time and cost overruns. The fortification of forward air bases against terrorist attacks has not yet been completed, despite the attack on Pathankot Air Force Station in January 2016.
While the
Indian Navy’s Kilo-class submarines sail on, the country’s undersea combat
capabilities have seen no new inductions since the early-1990s
The
continuation in service of obsolete and obsolescent weapons and equipment also
affects the country’s defence preparedness as fighter and bomber aircraft are
extremely difficult to maintain towards the end of the life cycle.
Modernisation of the armed forces has been stagnating due to the inadequacy of
funds, the blacklisting of several defence manufacturers and bureaucratic red
tape that stymies the acquisition process. However, several pragmatic
amendments were approved by Manohar Parrikar, then defence minister, in the new
Defence Procurement Procedure to streamline procurement procedures and
encourage participation of the private sector in defence manufacture.
Defence
procurement projects worth over Rs 150,000 crore have been accorded ‘acceptance
of necessity’, or approval in principle, by the NDA government, but it will
take up to five years before deliveries of the weapons systems begin. And, like
in the UPA regime, significantly large amounts of funds continue to be
surrendered unspent from the capital budget.
In
the army, artillery modernisation has been stagnating. There is an urgent need
to acquire approximately 3,000 pieces of 155 mm/52-calibre guns to replace
obsolescent towed and self-propelled guns and howitzers. So far a contract has
been signed only for 145 pieces of M777 155 mm/39-calibre howitzers from the
US. Another contract for 114 pieces of 155 mm/45-calibre Dhanush howitzers
based on the Bofors design is expected to be signed with the Ordnance Factories
Board shortly if the gun clears all trials. Air defence and army aviation units
are also equipped with obsolete equipment that has substantially reduced their
combat effectiveness and created vulnerabilities.
Modern
wars are fought mostly during the hours of darkness, but a large number of the
army’s armoured fighting vehicles – tanks and infantry combat vehicles – are
still ‘night blind’. Only about 650 T-90S tanks of Russian origin have genuine
night fighting capability. The infantry battalions need over 30,000 third
generation night vision devices, new assault rifles – a soldier’s basic weapon,
carbines for close quarter battle, general purpose machine guns, lightweight
anti-materiel rifles, mine protected vehicles, 390,000 ballistic helmets, and
180,000 lightweight bullet proof jackets.
The
navy is in the process of commissioning an aircraft carrier at Kochi to replace
the aircraft carrier INS Viraat and is building six Scorpene submarines at
Mazagon Dock. It is also building 22 destroyers, frigates, corvettes, fast
attack craft, landing ships and support ships. However, India’s maritime
security challenges are growing and the navy not only needs to modernise but
also expand its footprint in the Indo-Pacific region along with the navies of
India’s strategic partners.
The
modernisation plans of the air force are making progress, but at a snail’s
pace. The Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) project to acquire 126
fighter aircraft to replace obsolete MiG- 21s is scrapped, with the exception
of the purchase of 36 Rafale fighters from France. Lockheed Martin (F-16) and
Boeing (F-18) have jumped into the fray again with offers to produce their
fighter aircraft locally with transfer of technology.
The
IAF also requires several additional AWACS early warning aircraft, six mid-air
refuelling tankers, 56 transporter planes, 20 advance jet trainers, 38 basic
trainers, 48 medium-lift helicopters, reconnaissance and surveillance
helicopters, surface-to-air missile systems and electronic warfare suites. All
three Services need to upgrade their C4ISR capabilities to prepare for effectsbased
operations in a network-centric environment and to match ever increasing
Chinese military capabilities.
The
planned acquisitions are capital intensive and the present defence budget
cannot support many of them. The defence budget has dipped to 1.56% of the
country’s projected GDP for 2017-18 – the lowest level since the disastrous
1962 war with China. It must be progressively raised to 3.0% of the GDP if
India is to build the defence capabilities that it needs to meet future threats
and challenges and discharge its growing responsibilities as a regional power
in Southern Asia.
The
government has recently sanctioned some funds and delegated financial powers to
the three services to acquire the wherewithal necessary for combat readiness.
However, unless the remaining deficiencies in weapons, ammunition and equipment
are also made up quickly, the management of the defence budget improves by an
order of magnitude and the defence procurement process is streamlined further,
thoughts of critical hollowness in defence preparedness will continue to haunt
India’s defence planners.