The editorial "No more feuding" (September 24) shows the vertiginous decline in the political authority in the defence services. A K Antony has the dubious distinction of being our longest-serving defence minister, but his tenure has been lacklustre. Antony is known for his incorruptible record, but is not seen as a particularly decisive minister, preferring to delay rather than take decisions. No movement forward has been recorded on the serious issue of modernisation as well. After spending $46.1 billion, India ranks 8th in the list of the top 15 countries in terms of defence spending, based on data compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. China, with $166 billion, is the second-largest spender after the US. The defence chiefs were earlier part of the Cabinet Committee on Security. Now they are invited only sporadically. Their participation has thus, dwindled leading to a further disconnect with the civilian arm of the government.
M M Gurbaxani Bangalore
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