Parl has no time to discuss defence budget: Retd admiral

Dharwad: A clear manifestation of political indifference towards national security is the fact that since Independence no government has deemed it necessary to issue a defence white paper, or a national security doctrine: nor ordered a defence review. Whether this reticence is attributable to ‘strategic restraint’ or to a lack of concern is anyone’s guess, said former Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Arun Prakash.
Participating in a panel discussion on ‘India’s Quest for World Power: Its Economic, Military, Diplomatic Capabilities and International Standing’ organized by the Centre for Multi-disciplinary Development Research (CMDR) here on Monday, he said national security in its broadest sense, denotes the ability of a state to protect its territory, citizens, fundamental values, ideals and interests in the face of military threats or political coercion.

The concept of national security has been steadily expanding and today it not only implies the mobilization of political, diplomatic and economic tools but also addresses concerns relating to environmental threats. Resource-scarcity and socio-economic factors also matter, Admiral Arun Prakash said.

Referring to civil-military relations, he said the pursuit of war demands equal attention from soldiers as well as statesmen, diplomats and bureaucrats. “Most countries have created large cadres of experts - civilian and military - who run their national security establishments. “In India, for two centuries preceding independence, while Indian soldiers saw combat all over the world, neither our bureaucrats nor politicians had any involvement in military affairs or strategic planning. And yet, post-independence, India’s leadership decided to assign the running of the ministry of defence to a generalist bureaucracy which lacked any knowledge of defence and security matters,” he said.

“The government rode into power on the back of an election manifesto that promised national security reform. However, no substantive changes have been seen in the national security arena. While India does have a strategic culture and an ancient tradition of strategic thinking, our democratic system is not yet mature enough to deal with serious issues of national securities,” the Admiral said. The Parliament is overloaded with political and socio-economic agendas-and has never had time to even debate the defence budget, he added.

‘Civil servants lack expertise’

Listing the drawbacks of the system, Admiral Arun explained that the interminable delays that bedevil the processing of cases have caused a huge setback to force modernization. Were the station headquarters (SHQ) to be functionally integrated with ministry of defence (MoD), all the expertise would be available under one roof, he said and added that with the defence budgets dwindling, there is a dire need for prioritizing the requirements projected by the Services. “In the current set-up, generalist civil servants lack the necessary experience and expertise to examine and prioritise the demands of the Services” he said.

Admiral Arun was also critical of total autonomy being given to scientists at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which he said enables scientists to set their own priorities, often at the expense of soldiers’ urgent needs. Consequently, India remains a top importer of weapon systems worldwide, he said.

India’s air power

Air Vice-Marshal Manmohan Bahadur explained the air power possessed by India and said India should first consolidate its regional power status while nurturing the dream of becoming a world power. The Indian Air Force’s contribution is to build indegneous intellectual property and handhold the likes of Tatas and L&T. He said as of now, India’s hard power is adequate and between 2019 and 2035, it may deplete if steps are not taken now to strengthen it. Soft power is excellent till 2035, he added.

Lt General (retired) S C Sardeshpande said there are euphoric, wishful and genuinely ambitious thinking on India’s position among world’s great powers. “Government and media are tom tomming that we have the second largest army, third largest air force, the best missile in Brahmos and the best fighting traditions. All these have little meaning because we don’t seem to know how to use them to effect and help us climb up the ladder to world power,” he said.

“National security steadies itself basically on the nation’s economic, military, socio-political strength and diplomatic acumen. They need to be woven artistically, imaginatively. We seem to have not given the necessary study, cognition and execution of this vital aspect of public awareness and governmental action. This is very important if we aim big at world power status,” Lt Gen. Sardeshpande said.

Former diplomats Amit Bhaduri and Madhiu Bhaduri, CMDR chief P R Panchamukhhi and others also spoke at the session.