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Old weapons, new threats fuel India’s military build-up
Some argue India is playing catch-up, but others sense a more combative impulse.
Some argue India is playing catch-up, but others sense a more combative impulse. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
NEW DELHI:
India’s planned purchase of 126 fighters from France’s Dassault marks the latest stage in a huge military procurement cycle that has turned the world’s largest democracy into its biggest arms importer.
The final Dassault contract is expected to be worth $12 billion and India is preparing further big ticket purchases over the coming years, including of helicopters and artillery.
In a report to be published next week, Jane’s Defence Weekly forecasts that India’s aggregate defence procurement spending between 2011 and 2015 will top $100 billion.
What is less clear – and the subject of some heated debate – is why New Delhi is so hungry for costly modern weaponry and where the country’s strategic priorities lie.
Some argue that India is simply playing catch-up and using its growing economic wealth to effect a pragmatic, and long overdue, overhaul of a military arsenal still loaded with near-obsolete, Soviet-era hardware.
But others sense a more combative impulse, driven by the military modernisation efforts of its rivals and neighbours Pakistan and China, as well as the need to secure energy resources and supply lines outside its borders.
In testimony to a Senate Select Committee on Tuesday, the director of US national intelligence, James Clapper, said India was increasingly concerned about China’s posture on their disputed border and the wider South Asia region.
“The Indian military is strengthening its forces in preparation to fight a limited conflict along the disputed border, and is working to balance Chinese power projection in the Indian Ocean,” Clapper said.
“The Chinese have a huge, huge lead,” said strategic analyst Uday Bhaskar. “India is simply seeking what it sees as a level of self-sufficiency … That’s why we top of the list of arms-importing nations,” Bhaskar said.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 3rd, 2012.
Reader Comments (26)
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“driven by the military modernisation efforts of its rivals and neighbours Pakistan and China”
China is our rival, and pakistan is just our neighbour.
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Learn to live in peace with the neighbors and stop this insane spending. Better spend it on the poor people deprived of basic necessities.
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Any sain person would know that they are building up arms to squeez pakistan, they cann’t do anything with China. Irrespective of their over projected image they are no where near China in terms of economy and military strength.
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There are many hidden agenda behind this . Since India is building its fighter aircraft and this procurement will surely help .Chinese card is there . But one thing for sure , India has n’t pak in her mind . Does any country need weapons to disintegrate pak ?no….
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Yet India spends only 1.8% of GDP on defense, while Pakistan close to 4%. US, being the largest military power spends 4.5% of its GDP on defense. So on a relative basis, India is quite conservative in its expansion plans. India also has China to worry about, whose defense budgets top 100 billion each year.
For those who think these procurement will be used against Pakistan, please come out of fool’s paradise. Pakistan has a nuisance value to India, using these against Pakistan would be a waste of a resource(money).
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By 2025 the Indian Defence Budget will exceed the entire GDP of Pakistan.:)
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Pak disintegration even if it happens will be by the forces inside pakistan only.The last thing India wishes is 3 or 4 pakistans as its neighbours.
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@harish
Tell that to your media/govt officials, who start to whine whenever Pakistan gets new millitary equipment.
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@Sundeep:
talking about %ge is foolish…talk in numbers …its mind boggling…pakistan’s is a pittance. dont hide behind %ge crap
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@antanu g:
its not foolish. don’t try to twist everything according to your favorable way Mr. so called Indian. % wise calculation of entire budget is a different thing and more important than number wise comparisin. and only its remaining of it is available for other useful purposes for both. thats what matters than your way. if you want, just calculate the remaining in numbers. stop your crap first.
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@Sweet Dee:
Even USAF was whining that Indian pilots were beating them in exercises. It’s just a pressure tactic.
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@sandeep, Anatanu
Thats why we have A-Bomb. It balances out everything, nuclear subs, rafales, etc. etc…. now peace out
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@KJK:
we all know china is stronger than India, that doesn’t mean than we are losers, now we have enough capacity to make severe destruction on our enemies as that of ours if there occur a war. all these are not for war, but for defense.
and we are trying to minimize this gap.
@Sweet Dee:
pakistan is doing all that to make nuisance to others, last one was kargli after nuke test.Recommend
@Bagar: A-bombs are only for showcase display. Not even an insane will ever use them.
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@Baqar:
if then why jf17, and other craps?
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@Karan: By 2025, 86% of Indians will be living below poverty line. Currently, 77% of Indians live below poverty line. And if the Indian Defense budget increases to 400B, it would be the current GDP of Pakistan not the 2025 one.
Getting a clue yet??
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@all the indian commentors
wow for people who seem to be trying to convince everyone of their superiority and confidence you sure seemed to be obsessed with Pakistan. Go troll on the chinese newspaper websites and try to convince them of your bravado. Obviously we still make you nervous at some level, and well yes we are smaller, poorer more chaotic then your country but we are still an extremely strategic players in the region. Your attempts at subduing and isolating us internationally haven’t worked so far.
Also if there is anything the world has learnt from Afghanistan it is that bigger, faster, more modern technology, weapons and army doest mean anything or guarantee victory. If those in Afghanistan can take on the world and make everyone’s life miserable, I am sure we too can pack a punch or two.
So chill out, divert your comments to Chinese papers….Recommend
@Javed:
Pakistan’s current GDP is @ $210B not $400B. India’s poor now is @ 40% not 77% (which was the figure in 1985). Pakistan’s poverty is @57%, if you exclude foreign aid. Considering you have access to the net, you should at least check the facts before posting!!!! Moreover, if India’s poverty is decreasing @ 20% every decade, by 2025 there should be no more than 15% poverty in India.
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Whenever India purchases military equipment, my friend here start reminding us about our poverty(official).
Chinese 15% poverty does not stop it from spending 100 bilion dollor for it’s military modernization.
I think India is justified for it’s buying given that since 1947 it has been attacked 4 times by pakistan. We must remember that even though we both have had so called A-bomb, still pakistan attacked India in kargil.
Therefore, We can not trust our neighbors where people have fantasies about gazwa-e-hind
These are genuine concern…Recommend
@Nand: Not true. USA was insane enough to use them not once, but twice (Hiroshima and Nagasaki)
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@Javed:
if thats the truth then 60% of pakistan is also living under multi-dimensional poverty and many more under singular poverty.
see the state of pakistan, its treasury and the business. people dont have much aspirations thats why they dont mind the miniscule earning. its a fact.
moreover just explain that how lesser educated and lesser healthy( pakistani polio etc cases are much higher in no than indian) is earning more.
have fair survey and then brag
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@Vijay K:
“@Nand: Not true. USA was insane enough to use them not once, but twice (Hiroshima and Nagasaki)”
That is your personal opinion! Since you were not in the driver’s seat, that opinion may not be worth much. Moralizing comes easy when one doesn’t have to suffer for the consequences.
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Guys, v all know who stands where. India’s expansion plans make our neighbours tense… But to tell you top secret, all the might you believe we have is overestimated. Almost all weapons are outdated except sukhois.
So chill guys… You’re not going to change anything from any side. And by the way, WE CARE FOR OUR POOR PEOPLE… After all its a Democracy. Come see how we live and envy.:-)
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@Joakim:
I’m afraid you haven’t done your homework well. For your info, according to UNDP and World Bank, 75% is figure of indian poor living below poverty line at less than $1.8 / day. 800 million dont have toilet facilities.
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is time to pakistan to spend more money on nuk/b-missile ,pakistan have have defence missile tech,we know we have offasive teh but now we have work on def.indian and china know if the war happen between them they both lost lot of us industries in there country,they both do not want to fight each other.only one thing on india way is pakisatn,a very small country on there mind but very agrassive in a war.all those buying weapons not for china is for pakistan.
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@Ali:
Which UNDP or world bank report is that?!!! That figure is is more like that of 1980 than 2011. As per IMF report of 2011, poverty in India is 21%, though I think that is not accurate.
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