Referring to the Air-Land Battle concept, the former

artillery chief said this required allocation of adequate aviation resources and capability at the operational and tactical levels. "Such resources must be integral to the force structures. From the Indian Army's point of view, this principle regrettably has not been observed. Consequently, the Indian Army's combat capability has been avoidably circumscribed. This lacuna must be addressed on priority," Shankar said. Maintaining that acquisition plans must take into account several complex considerations including the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) inventory and planned acquisitions, he said "it would be terribly wasteful if the acquisition plans of these platforms are not coordinated with extreme care." As the global arms industry concentrated on selling systems that have a broadly universal application, the former army officer said, the Indian defence industry must -- either on its own or in collaboration -- concentrate on a range of systems that will enhance force capability in the mountains of Kashmir and the Northeast.