Comprehensive National Power – Concept and Utility National power is defined as the ability of a nation to attain its strategic objectives by directed action. The use of power would be based on the overall national vision based on the aspirations of the people at large and the capability of the leadership to fulfill the same. Click here to read full Paper
On May 27, 2015, the VIF put together a panel of eminent policy experts on defence, comprising, among others, serving and retired high ranking military officers, senior bureaucrats and representatives from the defence manufacturing industry for a seminar on ‘Make in India’ and DPP 2013.
With a view to evolve the future roadmap towards building comprehensive national capabilities in design and manufacturing in the Electronic Sector, the VIF, in collaboration with the DRDO, CII and the American Chamber of Commerce in India (AmCham India), organised an important seminar ‘Design and Make in India - Electronics Sector’ on 3 & 4 Jun 2015.
With the ‘Make in India’ drive of the government promising to change the entire industrial landscape in the country, the VIF organised it monthly talk ‘vimarsha’ on the ‘Role of Technology in the Manufacture of Defence Equipment’ on 23 April 2015, delivered by Vice Admiral Puri, former Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, who is presently associated with the Foundation as a Distinguished Fellow.
On 12 September 2014, General Shankar Roychowdhury, PVSM, ADC (Retd), former Chief of the Army Staff and Member of Parliament released the book ‘Decoding India’s Defence procurement: An Analysis of Defence Procurement Procedure 2013’ edited by Gen NC Vij. The edited volume is based on the proceedings of a seminar organized by the VIF wherein renowned military and civilian experts expressed their views on a wide variety of issues connected with defence procurement. The preface of the book has been written by Mr. Ajit Doval, the erstwhile Director of VIF and now the national security Advisor.
Hardcover: 144 pages Publisher: Wisdom Tree (2014) Language: English ISBN-10: 8183283349 ISBN-13: 978-8183283342 Online Available at amazon.com
Towards Expeditious Procurement and Indigenisation Despite several initiatives undertaken by the Government, the stated goal of self reliance in defence production still remains elusive. One of the main reasons is that for too long India has been importing over 70 percent of its armament and hardly any worthwhile technology has been developed indigenously.
India and China have been pursuing essentially a two pronged strategy in Asia, particularly in the Indian Ocean region. On the one hand, they are engaged in a growing economic partnership with a moderating influence on the strategic competition. On the other hand, they have been relentless in their pursuit of a militarily advantageous position in the region. The equation, however, is not comparable, with India having to account for Pakistan, while China has to contend with a US-Taiwan partnership.
According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), today India is world’s largest arms importer with country’s spending on defence hovering between 2.3% and 3% of GDP.