In search of a defence plan

There is a new confidence in the country that we can sustain an average of 8 per cent economic growth in the coming years. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is setting his sights even higher. That would indicate that this would release more funds in the future for our defence. But the reality is that competing priorities would demand more and more of national resources if economic growth has to be kept up and people’s aspirations met. This makes a scientific approach to defence finance and economics crucial and sharing experiences and ideas from experts across the world timely.

There can be no doubt that an expenditure of 3 per cent of GDP would be quite affordable, as indeed it was in the past when it provided credible deterrence against any aggression. It is easy to argue that India’s expanding economic and strategic interests would require such an investment for the coming decades especially since the existing shortfalls and backlogs also must be catered for. We are living in a difficult world full of uncertainties; and a range of capabilities are needed for the future. For example, our increasing energy import dependency and consequent vulnerabilities due to political uncertainties and potential instability in the Oil producing region of West and Central Asia, the internal war in Baluchistan, etc. may require military capabilities to protect our interests well outside our borders. The Lebanon War last summer required the evacuation of a couple of thousands Indians from the war zone, a task admirably performed by the Indian Navy. A lesser crisis in Arab states of the Persian Gulf where over 4 million live and work could pose unprecedented challenges.

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