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UK defence minister John Healey and armed forces minister Al Carns resigned this month as they felt the country had become “less safe” and the government was both unable and unwilling to provide funds necessary to rectify the grave constitutional anomaly. British governments on taking office are required by legislation to carry out a Strategic Defence Review (SDR) update. They are also periodically provide monies to support a Defence Investment Plan (DIP) which is based on a percentage of GDP that is also reviewed.

Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty.

Although India’s military system is almost entirely inherited from UK governments, we have managed to defend India without a SDR and a modern defence planning and budgeting system determined by known percentage of GDP to ensure resources match evolving threats and challenges.

Instead, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) prepares an annual defence budget which is updated, factoring inflation and the fluctuating value of the rupee, which have suffered havoc this year. Parliamentary defence oversight committee reports that are invariably critical of lean budgetary allocations resulting in capacity deficits have become notional. The principal lacuna for this void is the absence of meaningful interaction between the higher military and political leaderships.

For example, the prime minister who used to interact with service chiefs and operational commanders annually, now meets them biennially. The instruments employed towards evolving threats and resources for ensuring the safety and honour of the country have been found less than optimal , especially. There is therefore reliance on hope and prayer of no war. And unlike in the UK, understanding of national security among civil service........

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