Draft DPP-2020 marks a paradigm shift from the past in many respects. It contains several new features intended to hasten the procurement process and provide a further fillip to the Make in India initiative in defence.

• Laxman Kumar Behera , Amit Cowshish , Vinay Kaushal
• April 08, 2020
• Policy Brief

There is a need to act quickly on the issue of force majeure to scotch all speculations about how the MoD is going to deal with the inevitable delay in performance of contracts and instil confidence among the vendors.

• Amit Cowshish
• April 06, 2020
• IDSA Comments

Reforming defence pension is no more an option but a compulsion considering its exponential growth in the past, which is likely to continue in the future if no reform is undertaken.

• Laxman Kumar Behera , Vinay Kaushal
• February 28, 2020
• Special Feature

The European Union-3 and Iran are indeed up against formidable odds to keep the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) alive going forward.

• S. Samuel C. Rajiv
• February 21, 2020
• IDSA Comments

The slowdown in economic growth not only seems to have cast its shadow on the allocation of the defence budget for 2020-21 but has also compounded the challenges for the country’s first CDS.

• Vinay Kaushal
• February 12, 2020
• IDSA Comments

Considering that the defence capital expenditure already accounts for a very high share in the central government’s overall capital spend, any substantial hike in the former’s share looks less likely. This is more so given the government’s priority to spend on infrastructure and other non-defence capital assets to revive the economic growth.

• Laxman Kumar Behera
• February 04, 2020
• Issue Brief

There is a need to evolve a protocol for contract administration and post-contract management of all capital and revenue contracts awarded by various departments of the defence ministry and the armed forces.

• Amit Cowshish
• November 25, 2019
• IDSA Comments

Having decided to create the post of CDS, the next logical step for the government is to define its charter of duties and responsibilities. The government needs to examine not just the CDS’s role as a single-point military advisor, but also his role in other matters that are equally important in driving critical defence reforms.

• Laxman Kumar Behera
• November 21, 2019
• IDSA Comments

The government’s decision to allow the private sector to undertake the development of complex defence equipment is a step in the right direction. It will help forge a larger innovation system to meet the diverse requirements of national security. However, caution may be required to avoid duplication of efforts and prevent indirect import.

• Laxman Kumar Behera
• October 23, 2019
• IDSA Comments

The government seems to have little fiscal space for accommodating the demand of the armed forces for additional funds, given its quantum on the one hand and the state of its revenues on the other which are already quite stressed.

• Amit Cowshish
• September 26, 2019
• IDSA Comments