The Defence Technology Sector is again getting it wrong. It does not invest millions on the hardware that would fight ‘yesterdays’ war but invest heavily into ‘future’ war. The ‘future’ war is a matter of understanding. Indian Defence Services produces photocopy of minds that talk exactly same language without investing in the ‘actual’ future war. Conventional mindset has been so well exposed during Galwan.
The biggest challenges of the Indian Defence Technology Industry are the tagging behind the requirements of ‘todays’ warfare as espoused by the current users and understanding of the current users of a future war. The Defence Technology Industry in India is ‘reactive’ to current needs rather than working a decade ahead of the current understanding of war. The industry needs ‘military thinkers’ who can initiate change in R&D to be ‘future ready’. It must be ready for the ‘War of The Third Front’ and the ‘5th Generation War’.
Defence Technology Industry does not require retired military officers with acquaintances in the serving, the Defence Technology Industry requires ‘Military Thinkers Par Excellence” who will design the requirements for fighting the future ‘War of the Third Front’ and the ‘5th Generation War’ of India. You have read me a lot on the two. What I rarely write is how does it manifest into war fighting ‘inventory’.
Is industry in sync with 5th Generation War scenario? Do we have military thinkers who can look beyond the tip of bayonet? Traditional defence technology and hardware is getting very aggressive in India. Government is encouraging indigenous production too. Where is our defence tech industry wrt future of warfare? Do they understand ‘Third Front War’ and the extended ‘5th Generation War’? We need to be looking at Warfare of future where military will be relegated very low in order. How can we prepare today? What do we need to invest in? What do we do with deep rooted conventional war mindset?
Defence Technology Industry needs to THINK now in order to go miles ahead of competition. The competition is not of hardware or hardware support systems, the ‘NO competition’ is in areas of future war tech requirements which can be predicted today by futuristic #5thGenWar thinkers.
Grey Past of Defence Equipment Procurement
Indian Defence Technology Industry is in a flux. From a sector which only promoted middlemen it is seeing indigenisation of military hardware. The defence technology sector struggled for growth and the Indian Armed Forces and the Bureaucracy, both, created hurdles and put them directly in competition with vastly superior imported military hardware. Corruption, commissions, middlemen and copying was the main stay of defence procurement.
Indian Defence Technology Companies
The few Indian companies in defence technology sector struggled for orders and mainly relied on retired defence personnel to use their ‘in service’ connections to manipulate specifications, insert entry barriers for overseas companied, use bribes as a tool and mainly depend on the mercies of those in chair. These companies have not invested in military warfare thinkers to design products which will be demanded by the Government as a ‘dire need’ as opposed to the industry creating a need and going after the officials to get an order. The game changer will be to think way ahead in future and manufacture the futuristic needs now.
Incumbents:The ‘Decision Makers’
Those in chair had a reason to promote only imports. There was no basis or past history for pricing. X could be increased to 5x without batting an eyelid. Commissions were secret, not many came to know about dealings and the pockets of overseas companies were deep. The organisation and nation was last in priority since deep desire to make commissions was supreme interest. Policies were changed to accommodate the preferred product. Overall it was the show of incumbents.
The Clash of Incumbents
The clash among incumbents was very common and affected practically every procurement. The user, the bureaucracy and the finance combined to become incumbents who fought tooth and nail to push ‘their’ pick. Entire battles were fought on paper. The politicians made entry whenever the catch was big. The term ‘arms lobby’ came in where the game was big.
Overall Effect on Defence Technology Industry
The above factors have weakened the National Security by draining national resources and keeping the armed forces ready to fight yesterdays war. Technology should be able to fight future wars and to achieve that the Defence Technology Industry requires ‘military thinkers’ who not only read the future wars but are able to convert the thoughts into military hardware / war fighting inventory of man, material and mind.
Need of the Hour
Need of the hour for Defence Technology Industry is to focus 60% on current business and invest 40% in future wars. This means creating a cell within the company that has the sole task of creating scenarios of future wars and applying design thinking to come down to ‘micro’ tasks. When spread over ten years the work in progress will always result in products that the ‘then’ users will find most appropriate to procure immediately.
Human Assets in Defence Technology Sector
Days of hiring from general pool have finished. We require manpower which is in sync with requirements of future war. The requirements can only be decided by the military thinkers. Investing in manpower ready for future warfare needs to be done now. Agniveer is a game changer. Does Indian defence technology industry realise it?
Future Defence Technology
Future Defence Technology will be guided by understanding of the Third Front War and 5th Generation War completely aligned with the Government Policy. Indian companies have capability to become inseparable part of the national security ONLY if the pro-actively pursue the future wars and not be interested in ‘turnovers’.
Consulting
We are Defence Technology Industry Team consisting of Military Thinkers, current generation technical experts and experts using latest tools like design thinking. The Indian National Security future lies in being prepared for Third Front War and 5th Generation War. We are actively engaged with this sector and welcome enquiries.
Conclusion
I have written extensively on Third Front War and 5th Generation War and how India needs to approach it. Core of Defence Technology Industry lies in it. Let us prepare for the future. You can become Lockheed Martin of India.
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