Comment & Briefs

The share of defence expenditure in 2016-17 has gone below the levels it was in 1955-56. In 2017-18 it will go down to 1.557 per cent of GDP.

There is a plethora of evidence to show that the problem of establishing a Defence Modernisation Fund does not lie with any ‘rules of business’, but instead with its merit and workability.

In view of China’s adverse reaction to India’s missile testing, this year’s Republic Day parade could have been used for strategic signalling to arrogant entities questioning India’s ‘strategic autonomy’. Nuclear deterrence is also about demonstration and display of capabilities. If you have it, then flaunt it!

Israel’s influence on the new Trump Administration might clear the obstacles that have stood in the way of Honduras’ efforts to modernise its airforce

Regulated borders with greater emphasis on developing people-to-people contact and cross-border trade initiatives are likely to yield greater security benefits as against a closed border.

While certain changes in the format of the defence Demand for Grants have brought even more complexity to the task of estimating India’s official defence budget, the fact remains that there has only been a meagre increase of 5 per cent which is grossly inadequate to keep the Armed Forces in fighting form.

The Turkish republic stands at a crucial juncture today. The latest constitutional amendment will change Turkey’s 94-year old parliamentary system of government. As the constitutional amendment bill awaits referendum, serious questions arise about the direction in which Turkey is heading.

The reaction to President Trump’s utterances and avowed policies on the Mexican border wall and tariff has attracted strong criticism. It is surprising that Trump, who is known to view developments and decide on policies in transactional terms, appears short-sighted and unwilling to view the implications of his policies in a long-term perspective.

Suriname’s national army remains critically deficient in terms of air transport and maritime surveillance aircraft. It is an open question whether country’s armed forces will prove equal to the task of combating transnational organised crime.

Budget is not just all about figures but also a statement of policy. The Defence Budget for 2017-18 contains no hint of any intention of the government to bring about a paradigm shift in the defence policy.