A honest Indian Minister of Defence : Boon or Bane

[humblehobbes]

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Sarojini Naidu famously observed that it cost India millions to keep Gandhi in poverty. It is harder to determine what this country pays to perpetuate Defence Minister AK Antony’s reputation for honesty, but the monetary penalty alone is thousands of crores per year.
Here’s how it adds up. Antony’s obsessive quest for unblemished weapons procurement has delayed the acquisition of artillery and anti-aircraft guns, fighters, submarines, night fighting gear and a host of equipment upgrades. With arms inflation at 15 per cent per annum, a five-year delay means that India pays twice what it should have. And when that equipment is obtained through government-to-government purchases and other single-vendor contracts, the cost is about 25 per cent more than it would have been in competitive bidding. Conservatively estimating that delays afflict just half of the defence ministry’s Rs 50,000 crore procurement budget, India buys Rs 25,000 crore worth of weaponry for 125 per cent more than what it should have paid.

Over and above that figure is the cost to national prestige and the devaluation of India’s military deterrent when — as in the wake of the 26/11 terror strikes in Mumbai — India’s armed forces are unprepared for immediate strikes. That happened on Antony’s watch.

To inconvenient questions about procurement delays, Antony declares that “India is a democracy” and “we have to ensure full transparency”. Point out to him that many democracies manage timely procurement in a transparent manner, and you will get a patronising, “Don’t worry, we are doing all that is necessary to safeguard the security of the country.”

After five years of insensibility to Antony’s disastrous custodianship of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the Congress party seems to be realising that in India’s deteriorating security environment, Antony’s functioning might leave the party with having to account for a military embarrassment. Last week, Congress party spokesperson Manish Tewari wrote an opinion piece in a national daily, arguing for all the changes that Antony has assiduously blocked during his five disastrous years in office.

Tewari called for “reforms that are visionary”; treating Indian private industry on a par with the public sector; and “drastically retooling” the Department of Defence Production. Though qualified as his personal views, the article represented growing opinion within the Congress party.

Is it fair, Antony’s defenders will ask, to pin the blame entirely on him? After all, George Fernandes had publicly declared that fear of the three C’s — the CAG, the CVC and the CBI — held back MoD bureaucrats from making decisions. But Antony, like no other defence minister before him, endangers national security by his otherwise laudable fetish for probity. The message that flows out of Antony’s office and seeps through the procurement department is: cancel an ongoing procurement at the first hint of irregularity. It does not matter whether the suspicion has been planted by a rival arms dealer; a paid-for Parliamentary question; or a letter from an MP which has clearly been dictated by someone who possesses every detail of the tender in question. Just put the process on indefinite hold.

One MoD official asked me: Point out one official who has been punished for delaying the procurement of even the most vitally needed equipment. But if I am seen to move a file quickly, the defence minister’s office will ask, “What is the hurry. It seems almost as if you have a stake in that deal.”

Then there is Antony’s obvious bewilderment about the technical issues of the military, a crashing ignorance that cannot be condoned in India’s top military decision-maker. Antony’s apologists cite his preoccupation with party matters; but that is hardly convincing. His predecessor, Pranab Mukherjee, who had an immeasurably larger role in the party and national affairs, handled the MoD with skill and knowledge.

At a lunch, three years ago, I asked the Australian defence minister why his air force was buying F/A-18F Super Hornet fighters when Australia was already in line for the futuristic F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which was nearing completion. His answer: Australia’s ageing F-111 fighters would be retiring in 2010; since the F-35 project was running a couple of years late, 24 new Super Hornets would be inducted to retain Australian capability. (The Super Hornets are reaching Australia next month.)

Contrast that urgency with Antony’s “we-will-consider” approach, even though India faces a greater chance of military confrontation with Pakistan or China than Australia does with New Zealand or Papua and New Guinea.

Antony’s personal image and goals are damaging national security and the image of his party. If electoral seat adjustment and managing state-level dissidence is his particular skill, let him move out of that crucial corner office in South Block and give him a place in the Congress party office.

After Neville Chamberlain had miserably failed to reign in Hitler in 1939, British MP Leo Amery echoed the words of Oliver Cromwell in calling for Chamberlain’s head at a memorable session of the British Parliament: “You have sat here too long for any good you are doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!”

Mr Antony?

Ajai Shukla: The cost of Antony's halo

[manglasiva]

best in what way ? he a typical make believe clean politician..

[Spring Onion]

he is one of the best minister we have

and they want him to get dismissed ?

[jagjitnatt]

These past 7-10 years, politicians in India are really improving. Congress which is now in power seems to be very competitive and sensible. Some new politicians like Rahul Gandhi, Omar Abdullah are really promising. We have some high hopes from them

I hope the party never ends.

[Marxist]

Anthony is a good corruption less person, he resigned from central cabinet on 1995 on sugar scam allegation(moral ground).but as kerala cm his performance was very much below par.i am astonished seeing his performance in central cabinet..may be learned from the failures of Krishna menon who was also keralite

[gowthamraj]

no i dont accept he is like 'normal politician', in my personal view no any other minister worked like him, i 100 percent hope he will succesfully conduct modernizing armed forces, speeding up mrca deal in his own effect and helping our AF to conduct international war games,shows his love in his job

[su-47]

Antony has done a lot to reduce corruption in the defence industry. And as for delays, there would be delays even if the corrupt politicians were responsible defence. They will keep delaying to see if they would get more kickbacks!

There are also other reasons for delays. India today has access to technology and weapons from all around the world, unlike 20 years ago. So more time will be used up evaluating the proposals.

But that being said, I do believe we should do more to speed up procurement. These delays are rather frustrating, especially on the Air Force.

[jha]

whatever any one says..this present govt. in center is cleanest i have seen my whole life...He has really done his bit in making defence ministry less corrupt...however a little acceleration in the deals would be better...plus we should not forget the bureaucracy out there...

[DMLA]

Antony has done a lot to reduce corruption in the defence industry. And as for delays, there would be delays even if the corrupt politicians were responsible defence. They will keep delaying to see if they would get more kickbacks!

There are also other reasons for delays. India today has access to technology and weapons from all around the world, unlike 20 years ago. So more time will be used up evaluating the proposals.

But that being said, I do believe we should do more to speed up procurement. These delays are rather frustrating, especially on the Air Force.

I agree with you completely. I also feel that finance ministry should not have any say in the decisions made unless they don't have the necessary outlay from the budget. And if that's the case, the proposals should not be discarded (A330 MRTT) but merely put on hold till additional outlay is approved in the subsequent budget!

[saurabh]

I agree with you completely. I also feel that finance ministry should not have any say in the decisions made unless they don't have the necessary outlay from the budget. And if that's the case, the proposals should not be discarded (A330 MRTT) but merely put on hold till additional outlay is approved in the subsequent budget!

The system is more complex than that.
Think about it this way, finance ministry earns and defence spends. Finance ministry has a right to know whether the money is being utilized properly or not. Otherwise the defence ministry or the armed forces may go on spending for what they really do not need. We are not that rich yet.

Besides, lot is being spent, the defence ministry budget is already quite good.

@topic
The system is plagued with corruption. The cleaning will take time, and it may even slow down the system for while, since the whole working procedure is changing. But this is what we want in the long term..

[dvk1982]

guys, corruption for sure is a big evil ,bu t many a times we are under the illusion that no corruption leads to development!!

That has no basis. India when got independence had much more genuine leaders compared to what we have now. Genuine in terms of cause and just politics. But none or most of them didn't have thevision to make India COMPETITIVE AND ENABLE HER TO DEVELOP AT A FASTER PACE. We in the name of self-sufficiency denied competition. restricted private participation.

Running a govt with END RESULTS, is much more tactful than scoring points for gud conduct...

ANyways, my point is- I wud go for a rather corrupt govt which shows better progress than the one which is clean and slow. But again it's all about how much better is really better !!!

[DMLA]

The system is more complex than that.
Think about it this way, finance ministry earns and defence spends. Finance ministry has a right to know whether the money is being utilized properly or not. Otherwise the defence ministry or the armed forces may go on spending for what they really do not need. We are not that rich yet.

Besides, lot is being spent, the defence ministry budget is already quite good.

I agree that the finance ministry has a say. But we should understand that they know zilch about the needs of the forces. If a service thinks a particular system is needed, I would like the finance ministry to be more understanding and accomodate. I do not think that we should assume that armed forces will be buying what they don't need!!! They don't have most of the things they should in the first place which if you ask me is the failure of successive govts. till date! For the next 15 years, we will be trying to bridge the gap that now stands glaring in our faces!

[saurabh]

I agree that the finance ministry has a say. But we should understand that they know zilch about the needs of the forces. If a service thinks a particular system is needed, I would like the finance ministry to be more understanding and accomodate. I do not think that we should assume that armed forces will be buying what they don't need!!! They don't have most of the things they should in the first place which if you ask me is the failure of successive govts. till date! For the next 15 years, we will be trying to bridge the gap that now stands glaring in our faces!

We, sitting here in a defence forums cannot claim to understand more than the ministries. They have a team of analysts, studying and understanding the needs and realities of claims of defence forces. Its not that a clerk or even minister himself takes the decision, they do a lot, really lot of thinking. Just like that canceled refueller. Finance ministry raised some question on various aspects, and could not get satisfactory answer. Also, one point is, you dont have to purchase the best (costliest) when you can be fine with a cheaper one. This is what finance ministry look out for.

[DMLA]

We, sitting here in a defence forums cannot claim to understand more than the ministries. They have a team of analysts, studying and understanding the needs and realities of claims of defence forces. Its not that a clerk or even minister himself takes the decision, they do a lot, really lot of thinking. Just like that canceled refueller. Finance ministry raised some question on various aspects, and could not get satisfactory answer. Also, one point is, you dont have to purchase the best (costliest) when you can be fine with a cheaper one. This is what finance ministry look out for.

I would beg to disagree. The ministers know absolutely nothing! But I agree that the "team" does know what they are supposed to know. The decisions made by the ministers are clouded with politics and have nothing to do with "the right thing for the forces". Be it pressure from big countries/ lobbies or be it the "playing safe" card or the hidden issues of corruption (which still remains a big part of the defence sector).

The cheaper one you are talking of is something that IAF deems unfit for the force. Are you implying that finance ministry has the technical expertise to decide for the IAF? The keyword here is "do fine with cheaper one". IAF thinks it can't "do fine"! The irregularities were with the way RFP was formulated and the only way for IAF to circumvent such actions is to formulate a requirement so stringent that systems it does not want need not even qualify and are chucked after RFI stage. I hope IAF takes a lesson from this incident and does the needful wrt future proposals!

[manish123]

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Antony is just a mukhota for the INC who will sell this nation for a song,Inspite of all bombastic announcements actual weapons delivery during the past six years is just a trickle. The shameless politicians have been talking endlessly while our country is held hostage to national security to fill their own pockets and the brunt is faced by our jawans and young officers who have been run to the ground and are ill iqquipped to fight even a small war. Lots of contracts are signed to no end.Bombastic statements of future are given but current level of preparedness is pathetic. The enemy is not going to give 5-10 yrs of warning before attacking, the shameless babus and politicians should understand that.