Internal Security

IAS Parliament 6 years

KEY POINTS

Security Vs Development debate

India faces serious external and internal security challenges ranging from insurgencies in the Northeast and Kashmir to hostility with Pakistan and China.
Meanwhile, India has the fifth largest defence budget in the world and any increase will only come at great cost to an already stressed population.
Both arguments have merit in itself, but what is clear is that there is a complete mismatch between budget allocation and the existing structure of the military.
It is worrying that 68% of the Army’s equipment is vintage, but perhaps this also provides an opportunity to invest in new technology and ideas.
In this context, infusion of additional funds appears necessary, but this will have little impact unless the military reviews its organizational philosophy to emphasize capability over numbers.

Solutions

Inclusive plan – The government must conduct a comprehensive national security review to understand threats and then prepare a plan.
The allocation of funds to the military, whatever the percentage of GDP, must be based on this plan and not the current ad hoc yearly allocations.
Quantity to Quality – The focus must shift from quantity to quality and capability.
The military must stop talking in terms of numbers, of squadrons, ships and divisions, and focus on capability.
It will force us to search for the new technologies such as robotics, autonomous systems and artificial intelligence to enhance our military capability.

Integration – There is a crying need to move towards greater integration among the three services and with the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The luxury of each service running its own training, administrative and logistics system is no longer affordable.
The MoD, staffed entirely by civilians, seems oblivious to defence requirements and follows a procurement process which appears completely broken. This needs to be addressed properly.