india to increase defence spen

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 11-07-02 AT 10:27 AM (GMT)]’India’s Defense Spending to Shoot Up’
The Economic Times July 10, 2002

: India is going in for major procurement of military hardware and
software,
as also upgrading its surveillance, defence and strike capabilities, in
keeping
with its ”expanding” strategic role as a ”super regional power”.

”Our defence spending will really shoot up this year…there are a
number of
ambitious programmes on the anvil,” said outgoing defence secretary
Yogendra
Narain on Saturday. India will also now use large defence procurements
as a
leverage in foreign policy, he added.

With the setting up of the Defence Procurement Board and
”fast-track”
procedures, among other defence reforms, Narain said India had embarked
on a
policy of faster weapon procurements, diversification of weapon
suppliers and
establishing joint production facilities within the country.

In the coming days, India is going to finalise the deals for the
French
‘Scorpene’ killer submarines, Russian aircraft carrier Admiral
Gorshkov, Israeli
‘Phalcon’ early-warning radars for AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control
Systems)
and British ‘Hawk’ AJTs (Advanced Jet Trainers), among other
acquistions.

”Fast-track procedures” have also been used to clear purchases of
force-multipliers like UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), night-vision
equipment,
hand-held thermal imagers, counter-IED equipment and thermal image
integrated
observation systems.

Against Rs 12,000 crore on capital acquisitions in 2000-2001, the
defence
ministry spent Rs 16,000 crore during 2001-2002. ”We hope to spend the
entire
capital outlay of Rs 22,000 crore allotted to us this year,” said
Narain. The
ministry is also pushing the proposal for establishing a ”non-lapsing
fund”
for defence purchases.

Apart from Russia, India is also rapidly enhancing its defence
cooperation
with the US, Britain, Israel, France and Italy, among other countries.
Israel,
for instance, has emerged as a major defence supplier, with no
divergence of
views on foreign policy with India. ”So far we have got everything
from Israel
we negotiated for,” said Narain.

Dwelling on the country’s major defence projects, Narain asserted
that the
indigenous Light Combat Aircraft would be ready by 2006. While
conceding there
had been some slippages in the missile programme, he said the success
of the
‘Agni’ and ‘Prithvi’ missiles proved the project was on track.

Narain also outlined the various reforms implemented in the
country’s higher
defence management, including the complete integration of the Service
HQs with
the ministry.

On being asked about the delay in appointment of the proposed Chief
of
Defence Staff, he said it was for the country’s political leadership to
take the
final view on it.

On setting up of the Strategic Forces Command to oversee the
country’s
nuclear and missile arsenal, he said it was ”still under deliberation
and
discussions”.