From Process to Performance: Reforming India’s Defence Procurement for Emboldening Operational Capability

India has progressively reformed its defence procurement architecture through the Defence Procurement Procedure, the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 and the draft DAP 2026. These reforms have strengthened transparency, indigenisation and procedural clarity; yet, capability gaps and prolonged acquisition timelines persist. The article argues that the problem cannot be explained simply by characterising the DAP as excessively process-driven. Rather, procedural reform has been expected to compensate for weaknesses originating across strategic direction, capability planning, requirement management, acquisition execution and lifecycle capability management. Using a fivelayer framework, the article distinguishes procedural limitations from organisational, financial, planning and sustainment constraints, and also examines existing provisions relating to fast-track acquisition, lifecycle support, sustainment and innovation pathways. Comparative analysis is used selectively to identify institutional mechanisms, rather than models for replication. The article concludes by proposing a capability delivery model integrating all five layers to improve the timely delivery and sustained availability of operational capability.