Arms and the man

In his 27-month stint at the ministry of defence, Manohar Parrikar set the reforms ball rolling on many fronts. While Arun Jaitley can be expected to proceed along the course set by his predecessor, he may find it hard to address the needs of a ministry as crucial as defence while holding another equally important portfolio. To get an idea of the magnitude of the tasks at hand, defence deals worth ₹50,000 crore are stuck for want of documentation on strategic partnerships. This entails spelling out the specialisations of Indian corporate players so that foreign partners can forge tie-ups without running from pillar to post for the requisite information. Negotiations on the $12-billion single-engine jet fighter deal could lose momentum (100 of these aircraft are expected) as Jaitley may take some time to familiarise himself with the issues involved. A major procurement initiative is called for, in view of the squadrons being phased out. The Indian Air Force has 34 squadrons out of the 42 required. Each squadron consists of 18 aircraft. Apart from this, 11 squadrons of MiG-21s are looking at retirement.

However, at the heart of the new agenda is a Make in India dispensation for defence, bolstered by significant foreign investment and know-how — a shift away from large-scale imports. In this regard, the Defence Procurement Procedure policy, released in March 2016, must be taken to its rightful conclusion. Parrikar had set an ambitious target of $2 billion defence exports by 2019, against a mere $330 million at present. He also worked out a formula, although not to the satisfaction of all concerned, to the vexed ‘one rank one pension’ issue which had been hanging fire for a decade. A full-time minister would be required to implement wide-ranging reforms, besides being alert to geopolitical threats and changing realities. In this regard, a proposal to create the post of chief of defence staff, based on the recommendation of a Group of Ministers in 2001, needs to be taken forward.

The bureaucracy may try to claw back to regain the ground lost under Parrikar. Parrikar had rubbed many officials the wrong way by creating a procurement policy that was both transparent and pragmatic. He realised that since middlemen were indispensable to deal-making, their commissions should be above board and their functions seen as an extension of the ministry’s operations. He relaxed the blacklisting rule (barring companies that had been indicted earlier for paying bribes) by excluding subsidiaries of tainted companies from their ambit. In doing so, he overcame the deal-freeze regime of AK Antony without, however, making compromises on transparency in the process. Parrikar’s successor should not disturb the institutional balance of power between the armed forces and the Government, which has been one of the strengths of our democracy. Concerns in this regard have arisen from time to time. A defence minister, besides being informed, clean and committed, should not overlook this aspect.

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