[UPDATED] India’s New “Defence Production Policy” Unveiled

My head still hurts from befuddlement. Defence Minister AK Antony could not explain just what in hell was new about the “Defence Production Policy” that he released today. The document, that looked more like one of those cheesy religious booklets than a policy guideline document is utterly perplexing. At least two journalists asked the Defence Minister today what in this new document was new. No answers. Sample this:

“Preference will be given to indigenous design, development and manufacture of defence equipment. Therefore, wherever the required arms, ammunition and equipment are possible to be made by the Indian industry within the timelines required by the Services, the procurement will be made from indigenous sources.”

Umm. Was this not the policy before? Conversely, was it India’s policy before this document to buy from foreign sources by default?

“Government will endeavour to build up a robust indigenous defence industrial base by, proactively encouraging larger involvement of the Indian private sector in design, development and manufacture of defence equipment.”

Can’t fault the MoD here — this is as honest as it gets. They didn’t give two rats about the private sector before this, so now they will. Wow. Just wondering why they feel the need to enunciate this now. And now, the best one of all:

“Service Headquarters (SHQs), while laying down the qualitative requirements for defence equipment/ weapon systems/ platforms to be developed/ integrated/ made, will exercise due diligence at all times to keep in view feasibility and practicabilityof the QRs.”

Ha! Ha! You have to hand it to the Defence Production department for giving it straight. As with the above two points, it’s the converse that’s the story — this guideline suggests that the armed forces have never exercised “due diligence” when laying down requirements so far.

On a serious note, I’m not sure anyone (perhaps not even the folks who wrote it) fully understand what purpose it really serves. Is it a policy document? Is it a brochure to remind folks about what they already know? Is it just departmental hubris? What is it! If you really want to, read the rest of it here [.pdf].

Sent using a Sony Ericsson mobile phone

11 thoughts on “[UPDATED] India’s New “Defence Production Policy” Unveiled”

  1. i thought MOD will bring in more private firms from india into game..anyways lets see how events unfold..

    btw i follow many blogs and the best thing about livefist is use of bold text wherever needed…

  2. Earlier the theft was unofficial now it is official. What can you expect when Chf of Army is accused of corruption and asked to be present before PAC? How competent is this current defense minister under whose tenure we are witnessing the highest level of corruption in the armed forces?

    The uber corrupt and incompetent Pvt sector will get all dual application tech for free which is going to be bankrolled by the impoverished Indian masses. Is it any wonder that we have failed to produce any new entrepreneurs after independence? The ones that we have produced are the products of corrupt license Permit Raj. These nouveau rich "Pvt sector" have no competence or credibility. Their USP lies in managing the biz env (brought out in Nira Radia/ 2g scam)by greasing the palms of uber corrupt babus and netas.
    We must ensure that there is open competition and no freebies for anyone thru the backdoor. Defense procurement is the next mother of all 2G scams with monkeys like Anthony as defense minister and thieves like Gen Kapoor as Chf of Army.
    Mera India is indeed mahan. If we continue with this kleptocracy, that day is not far when India will break up like USSR.

  3. Very Sorry,about Vikas, may he RIP. I sincerely hope the Government takes care of things(family etc;) in an exceptional manner.
    And about the new Defence Production Policy, I thought that only the ministers were ignorant, now I have a strong feeling that it is creeping down into society as a whole. What else is guys like Pradeep Kumar and Dr. K V Jacob doing at the rat hole(South Block). Now my fears have come true, exactly as in 'Arming without Aiming'.
    As i did mention in an earlier blog, this whole system will have to be weeded out and India has to start anew, if not, the desi 'tejas' will be pitted against the CHENGDU.(And by the way, without a FCR, since Israel has been blocked from selling that to India). hmmm..that sounds interesting.

  4. The booklet is just an on-the-record codification of the Indian MoD's procurement norms, procedures and policies. It is indeed long overdue and copies of these booklet will be distributed to all existing and potential vendors (local and foreign), this becoming a mandatory practice from now on. Such booklets are published worldwide by several countries and now India joins the league. It is not about what was already known, but more about what has now been officially spelt out in writing, just like the DPP. Similar such booklets need to be published for public consumption, including those dealing with India's defence policy and threat perceptions, warfighting doctrines, and medium-/long-term force modernisation priorities, similar to what Australia and Turkey do, for instance. Enough of the cloak-and-dagger/behind-the-scenes closed-door briefings/seminars!

  5. Stealth or no-stealth, 5th generation or 4th generation, fighter aircraft are as obsolete for India's defence as bows and arrows. They can be used against neighbors such as Pakistan and China but the United States is EVERYBODY'S neighbor. It has already invaded and occupied Afghanistan, a part of traditional India and will expand its occupation to the rest of the subcontinent. I am India's expert in strategic defence and the father of India's strategic program including the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program. The U.S. invasion of Afghanistan means the coast-to–coast destruction of the U.S. by India; see my blog titled 'Nuclear Supremacy for India Over U.S.', which can be found by a Yahoo search with the title, for what India needs to do. Russia and other white countries are U.S. allies. These are the enemies to destroy. All other enemies will be taken care of automatically. Conventional arms are worthless for destroying the United States. Nuclear arms to destroy the United States with a FIRST STRIKE — this is the key — are cheap and easy to produce with technology India already has. All the money earmarked for fighter aircraft etc., and more, must be pumped into research, development and production of missiles able to deliver India's nuclear warheads — in the thousands — to the continental United States. India's missile scientists & engineers should have tested such missiles to their full range decades ago — everything else, including short and intermediate range missiles and missile defence, is secondary and tertiary — but have not done that because of prohibitions by India's C.I.A.-controlled governments. This must be done on a war footing; the first step is to destroy RAW through which the C.I.A. rules India; see my blog. Producing such weapons in the thousands and very quickly is important. This means that the vast majority of them must be land-based, including road and rail-mobile, missiles rather than submarine-based which take a long time to produce.
    Satish Chandra

  6. Dear Prasun,

    I think what you are saying is that the book will make the defence purchases guided by the principles in the book instead of by hidden dealings of the high and mighty.

    That is so comforting. Now we have a book to protect us which only a select few countries have. Let us use this book to ward off our enemies who cross our border at any time of their choosing.

    We dont need any weapons to protect us for whose decisions we keep going in circles on for a decade. We now have the book.

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