Indian Air Force Amidst 'Many Gods' -
Will we Make in India?
Will we Make in India?
My article published on Rediff on 13 Apr 2016
'I am God‘ Won’t Make in India
http://www.rediff.com/news/column/make-in-india-cant-be-forced-upon-the-military/20160413.htm
Years ago, a Swamiji was invited by the College of Defence Management as a part of a
series of guest lectures. What stayed with me was his analogy for human
behaviour. He spoke about the two distinctive human behavioural patterns – the ‘dog pattern’ and the ‘cat pattern’. A dog and a cat lived in
each other’s neighbourhood. Both were happy in
their respective lives. The dog said “I am happy; my master looks after me very
well – he is God”. The cat was different. He said “I am happy; my master looks
after me very well because I am God”.
Ever since, I have looked at different situations of conflict
with Swamji’s wisdom. Everything falls into place once we appreciate the
patterns of human behaviour where some people or
organisations expect others to submit to them. I call it the ‘I am God’ syndrome.
When interacting elements begin to
believe that ‘I am God’, despite each
one meaning well, the result is a lack of synergy and non-accomplishment. This
is what happens between the players that aspire to build indigenous capability for the Indian Armed Forces .
People often cite the development of
space capability and the accomplishments in atomic energy and exclaim “If they
can, why not the Defence!” They overlook the unity of direction in those
domains - the designer, developer, user and maintainer being under the control
of a single agency.
The military capability of a nation
rests on a triangular base. The three pillars are (i) Armed Forces on the basis of assets
and training/ preparation, (ii) Research & Development capability, and
(iii) Manufacturing/Industrial capacity. The military could also be classified
into three distinct classes on the basis of its influence, (i) Local, (ii) Regional
and (iii) Global. However proficient, a fighting force be, its reach will be
localised if the nation’s R&D and industrial capability are insignificant.
For a nation to aspire to enhance its military influence to the regional level,
it has to progressively improve its industrial capability. Finally, any
military can have Global influence only if the nation’s R&D and industry are
dominant players with a cutting edge over adversaries. This gives its military
the first use of best weapon systems to develop operational concepts and
tactics ahead of other nations.
Let us remember that ‘Make in India for Defence' must not be
our goal. The goal is to have a
strong military to help the nation protect its identity and assert its will.
Enhanced indigenous industrial capability is a prerequisite for the nation’s
military to be reliable and effective in times of crisis. Therefore, indigenous
design/development and manufacturing capability are necessary conditions for achieving the goal of maintaining a
powerful military force. This simply means that 'Made in India' cannot be
forced upon the military without ensuring that it meets the requirements. In a
recent panel discussion on the subject at IIT Roorkee, the Raksha Mantri
pointed out the prerequisite by saying that “the needs of the armed forces
cannot be overlooked”.
Each of the three pillars or components
of military capability (Armed Forces, R&D, and Industrial Capacity) is
often measured for performance in isolation. Consequently, each one strives to
maximise its performance in seclusion. It is convenient to work independently
towards a localised objective. The industry (mainly Defence PSUs) have made
profits through licensed manufacturing, while progressively reducing the design
& development effort – the local measures of production and profits have
been well satisfied. The DRDO, satisfied in accomplishing programmes which
permit autonomy in execution, have given little of significance to military
aviation’s requirements. Both DRDO and Defence PSUs view the Armed Forces’
penchant for foreign systems as a problem. The Armed Forces, who carry the
ultimate responsibility, justify foreign purchases because of the lack of
availability of indigenously developed state-of-the-art weapon systems.
Strategic thinkers often wonder why we
cannot produce indigenous designs today, when we (HAL) had produced an
indigenously designed and developed multi role fighter aircraft (HF-24 Marut)
in the early sixties.
Back then, DRDO hadn’t quite grown and
HAL top management was deputed from the Air Force. These situations are not
relevant to the size of these organisations and the expected performance from
defence R & D and industry today. The fact is that the unified direction
and control of those times was vital in creating HF-24 Marut.
Both DRDO and HAL are now big empires;
Gods in their own right, who desire submission by their clients and acceptance
of their products as a mark of appreciation for their hard work. It is not uncommon
to hear expressions like “The Air Force would keep asking for more, but, had to
be directed to accept!”
On its part, the Air Force is not happy
to compromise specs - There is a limit to which the genius of our pilots can offset our aircraft deficiencies compared to
adversaries. When the old specs are nearly met a decade later, the world has
moved on and those specs now fall short of the Air Force’s current expectations.
And the process goes on. . As a solution, the Air Force looks
for more control and makes futile attempts to make the impossible happen - have
an Air Force pilot as the Chairman HAL!
Every player in the arena has noble
intentions towards making the nation stronger. However, each one’s perception
of the requirements is different. These perceptions differ because they are
based on inappropriate assumptions to satisfy local measures. The result is
that we have three Gods to be brought together (in addition to the much needed
private industry).
The solution is in ‘win-win’ – no one
should be forced into compromises. The industry shouldn’t be made to wait
endlessly for products to be put to use. There is no short cut to development
of hi-tech systems. Our own armed forces have to use indigenous systems at
intermediate stages of technological development for products to mature and be
counted among the best in the world. At the same time, the armed forces need
for state-of-the-art should be acknowledged before jeopardising acquisitions in
view of unrealistic assurances of indigenous development timeframes.
The ‘I
am God’ syndrome won’t permit us to make in India until all agencies come
together to find this win-win solution. The Raksha Mantri may consider
appointment of a coordination group consisting those with techno-military
acumen to facilitate synergy and advise him directly without the bureaucracy
stepping in as another Super God.
Air Marshal PV Athawale PVSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd)
Former AOC-in-C of
Maintenance Command, IAF
Quite frankly I am not one who is very happy with what skills and professionalismI saw that was on offer while in the service.But having read your piece what I did not agree to in my 25 years in the Air Force you have succeeded in making me think otherwise,and nod in acceptance.You have most convincingly put across the good and smart without being apologetic or trying to be marketing-savvy.Where I still am reluctant to go along is ,without being disloyal is the prevailing disconnect between the language and grammar of re-employment in the civil sector once one is out of the uniform.Your strong arguments though make the services look to be an attractive and rich, fish pond for head-hunters looking for experience,talent and reliability. Anyways,Wish those looking out a very cheering time...
ReplyDeleteWin-win is the only harmonious way of doing any thing in life. Enjoyed reading your thoughts put forward so logically. Came here through your Canberra blog forwarded by Conrad Dalton. Best wishes
ReplyDelete