Coordinating in the battlefield

India's military can no longer afford to create a patchwork of small and relatively inconsequential systems purchased from here and there

Speaking at an annual gathering of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi last week, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh implored captains of the defence industry — not for the first time — to innovate in futuristic technologies “to transform India from (being) a follower to a leader”. Demonstrating the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) talent for slogans, Mr Singh observed that India’s population had to be converted from a “wealth-consuming entity” into a “wealth-creating resource”. However, it will take more than catchphrases for our defence industry to begin churning out the defence equipment needed to become Atmanirbhar Bharat —