Achieving India’s National Security through Self-reliant Defense Industry

INDIA’S SELF-RELIANT DEFENSE INDUSTRY

Significant changes to the notion of national security over the years have been examined by many scholars and analysts.⁷ In the past, the nation-state was a primary object that needed to be secured. Thus, it was a referent object that embodied the idea of a state-centric society. According to the traditional framework, all other state entities are at risk if a nation is unable to guarantee its own life. In order to ensure state sovereignty, the main focus of conventional security is to build up one’s military strength. Thus, it is clear that the Realism school of thought had a significant impact on the traditional conception of national security.⁸ Realist strategists like Clausewitz, Machiavelli, and Sun Tzu have offered a variety of definitions of national security from realist views. However, due to global events like the two World Wars and the Cold War, traditional ideas of security have been questioned by many liberal scholars who believe that the state should take precedence over individuals who are unaware that the state itself may be a source of threats, and believe that military power is the only means of waging war.⁹ Therefore, the focus on external military threats to national security was evident until the end of the Cold War. Since the conclusion of the Cold War, the traditional concept has been rethought and reconceptualized on the basis of these and has been impacted by other variables. The idea of national security has been expanded, as Barry Buzan and Hansen point out in their book, by including the social, economic, political, and environmental sectors in addition to the military sector, which are also interconnected. A specific referent item and threat are identified for each sector.¹⁰ Today, a state’s capacity is determined by its ability to protect its population through all-encompassing security measures, as well as its territorial sovereignty and integrity.

The defense sector of any nation is the common factor in both traditional and nontraditional concepts of security. Thus, the self-reliant defense sector of a nation plays a huge role in addressing threats emanating from external as well as internal factors.¹¹ In such a scenario, India is not an exception. Kalam, in 2006, stated, “National security is born out of two important components. One is economic growth and prosperity; second is the capability to defend the nation against all types of threats.”¹² Accordingly, the defense industry of India is appropriate to cater to both the components of national security.

In the context of India, the idea of self-reliance is not new. It dates back to the early years of India’s independence and has been profoundly impacted by a variety of variables, including leadership, global and local events, the economy, and others.¹³ It is indisputable that India’s struggle with a failing economy, poverty, resource scarcity, historical legacies, and sectarian strife dates back to the country’s independence.¹⁴ During the early stages of independence, the idealist Nehru government placed a strong emphasis on the socioeconomic advancement of the country as the ultimate answer to all of India’s issues. This is regarded the leading advocate for global peace and disarmament, which has imposed limitations on military spending.¹⁵ The difficulties India encountered when emphasizing world peace. India faced threats from its neighbors and got engaged in wars with China and Pakistan, as well as the ominous setback India suffered at the hands of China in 1962. India was simultaneously forced by the fallout from the 1962 conflict to concentrate on building a strong defense industrial base and a capable standing army. Although India held research institutions like the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which was founded in 1958, and developed defense manufacturing policies and ordnance factory boards before the defeat.¹⁶ India was then more focused on the socioeconomic development of the country. Following the 1962 war, India began carefully preparing for defense through the 1964 5-year plan, although lack of funding posed significant obstacles to its execution.¹⁷

The cordial ties established by Indira Gandhi established with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) shortly after succeeding Nehru as Prime Minister of India demonstrated the futility of the nonalignment campaign. After that, India turned to the USSR for defense supplies, which helped strengthen India’s defense during the 1971 Liberation War. Indira Gandhi is also credited with enhancing India’s technological defense capabilities as a preventative step. From the 1980s on, Indira Gandhi concentrated on advancing the concept of modernizing India’s military in order to attain national security.¹⁸ Rajiv Gandhi significantly aided Indira Gandhi’s efforts to modernize the defense by modernizing India through the industrial revolution. Rajiv Gandhi signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the transfer of technology while visiting the United States in 1985 and 1987. The Rajiv Gandhi administration is renowned for making some cutting-edge defense purchases. Among them are the fighter jets Mirage 2000 (France), Bofors (Sweden), and AN-32 (Soviet). Apart from importing, India placed a significant priority on developing its own missiles, such as the Trishul, Prithvi, and Agni, that were introduced in 1988–1989. Additionally, Rajiv Gandhi quadrupled the budgetary allotment for the defense industry. Therefore, it is clear from all of these policies that India’s indigenous defense program placed a strong emphasis on the country’s traditional security.¹⁹

The 1990s economic liberalization and change in the global order have shifted attention to the nation’s nonmilitary sectors.¹⁶ Despite significant investments in the indigenization of the defense sector, India continues to lag behind in terms of indigenous acquisition due to a number of factors, including a lack of funding, a lack of technological know-how, and research institute monopolies. In the list of countries that buy arms globally, India tops Saudi Arabia, according to reports published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) (2022).¹⁷ India is spending a sizable portion of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defense purchases, but it also faces numerous external dangers, including border disputes, particularly with China and Pakistan.²⁰

India faces a variety of internal and external dangers, including poverty, unemployment, a lack of technological know-how, and ethnic conflict. According to the most recent statistics, 14.96% of Indians struggle with poverty.²¹ After dropping by 10.3% during the epidemic, the unemployment issue has gotten worse, and tensions along the northern border were at their height.²² The Government of India has always been interested in finding a solution to both conventional and nonconventional dangers to the country while analyzing such scenarios. Since gaining its independence, India has used one of its main policies, self-reliance, to address the country’s numerous challenges.

As a result, during the current administration’s tenure, signature initiatives like Make in India and, more recently, Aatma Nirbhar Bharat have been touted as ways to make India self-sufficient. Therefore, it may be concluded that in a realistic world, realist security concepts actually dominate international affairs. India has been significantly reliant on foreign suppliers for military supplies and equipment because it is a developing nation with ongoing border conflicts and geopolitical issues. India’s efforts to develop military proficiency through indigenization programs have been hampered by a number of issues, most notably the politics of global hegemony, which strongly depends on technological superiority.²³ With the campaign slogan of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat, a phrase coined by the current prime minister, India aims to achieve huge financial leaps with the use of extremely sophisticated infrastructure that represents modern India and with a focus on technologically driven systems to provide employment for the enormous population and meet the needs of the country. The following areas are where the government plans to encourage increased self-reliance within the defense sector:

• Defense manufacturing: The Indian government has started a number of reforms in the framework for its defense policy, including a 50% increase in indigenous defense production. Under the positive indigenization list, restrictions on the import of >2,000 commodities have been put in place to boost domestic production. Under the aegis of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, the development of six indigenous submarines and 111 naval utility helicopters has also advanced.

• The generation of employment is another objective India has envisioned. Under the Agniveers’ plan, army recruitment has already started. According to the “Aatma Nirbhar” policy, the indigenous production of the LCA MK1A “Tejas” aims to employ roughly 500 businesses for product design and manufacturing. Additionally, India believes that if the money that is currently spent on imports is spent within the nation through indigenization, the economy of the nation will definitely grow.

• Modernization of the defense sector: Budget allocation for this purpose has increased from 58% in 2019 to 63% in 2020. In the next 5 years, India intends to invest 130 billion dollars in its military, according to the report published by the Government of India (2022). The modernization of the defense sector entails the acquisition of defense platforms, technologies, and defense equipment with the aim of enhancing military capability. A major objective of the Indian government is to achieve self-reliance in the manufacturing of defense.²⁴

• Development of technology through research and innovation: The DRDO has reported the establishment of five DRDO Young Scientists Laboratories to facilitate advanced technology areas to cope with the emerging challenges in the defense sector. Additionally, 25% of the defense Research and Development fund has been allocated for the development of defense technology.

• Larger participation of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and private sectors: Private sectors can help India achieve its goal of being self-sufficient in the defense sector since they would promote strategic alliances with foreign producers. Innovations for the defense excellence scheme engaging MSMEs and startups have been launched through a portal named SRIJAN.

• Increasing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the defense sector: According to government reports, India has raised the FDI cap from 49 to 74%. Additionally, a rise in investments by international business companies in Indian companies is predicted with the increase in the FDI limit. According to data provided by the government, FDI inflow in 2021 was roughly 4,191 crore rupees, up from 56.88 crore rupees in 2020.