IDSA ISSUE BRIEFS

Defence Procurement Procedure 2013 – A Ringside View

Buy (Indian)’ the most important policy decision introduced through DPP 2013 suggests that it should be the first option or the most preferred category. It, however, gives rise to many questions.

June 11, 2013

Li Keqiang Visit to Pakistan: Assessing the Outcome

Wide-ranging agreements and proposals were signed and discussed during Li’s visit to Pakistan. The emphasis between the two countries continues to be ‘strategic’ – ‘strategic communication’ and ‘reinforcing strategic and long term planning’.

June 05, 2013

Syria and WMD: Deepening Uncertainty

Even as the uncertainty over the alleged use of chemical weapons use in Syria deepens, the cautious US response to the situation has been conditioned by the lack of viable military options as well as its Iraq war experience.

June 03, 2013

Russian Military Reforms: An Evaluation

The military sector reform is a top priority for Vladimir Putin, who believes that these reforms will go a long way in achieving Russia’s military and comprehensive national power objectives. The on-going military reforms have come a long way since they were first introduced in 2008. Most of the structural reforms have already been implemented. The material reforms, which are necessary to ensure that the structural reforms deliver, are progressing well, notwithstanding difficulties such as corruption, availability of limited resources, and recession.

May 23, 2013

India and NSG: Approaches to Indian membership

India’s admission to the NSG has, as on the previous times when the India-US Nuclear Deal and the NSG exemption of 2008 were under discussion, caused many of those opposed to the Indian nuclear programme to come out with various policy suggestions on how to get India to agree on additional conditionalities. In addition there is a move by many to use the Indian admission for membership as a means to legitimize the illegitimate nuclear commerce between China and Pakistan. All these are predicated on the assumption that India is desperate to join the NSG. India should reject any move by the nonproliferation lobby to devise a criterion-based admission procedure.

May 23, 2013

Daulat Beg Oldie Standoff: An Assessment

The culmination of the unprovoked Chinese intrusion in the Depsang Sector of Ladakh is a breather and a warning to India. It is a breather because it saves the country the embarrassment of justifying its inaction in dealing with the intrusion. Warning because, it gives yet another chance to set right the existing short comings in border management and deficiencies in the defence operational capabilities.

May 22, 2013

India and Iran Relations: Sustaining the Momentum

The recent visit by the external affairs minister can be viewed as continuation of new diplomatic push to strengthen bilateral cooperation with Iran despite the difficulties of economic sanctions imposed by the US and EU. However, the real test for both the countries is to maintain and sustain the current momentum.

May 20, 2013

Australia-China Strategic Partnership

Timely as it was, the Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s five-day China visit may be considered a success on all fronts. Leading the ‘strongest Australian delegation ever’ to China, Gillard pledged to give the relationship a ‘concrete shape’, which in Chinese Premier Li Kequing’s words, is already ‘comprehensive, constructive and cooperative’. This issue brief analyses Julia Gillard’s China visit in the context of rising Australia-China bonhomie.

May 13, 2013

A new dawn for defence production in India

Defence acquisitions are always much debated and scrutinised. The criticism ranges from a lack of direction in procurements to needles procedural complexities and from corruption in defence deals to bureaucratic apathy. The Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by the Defence Minister, has taken some bold and much needed decisions on April 20, 2013 in an attempt to address some of these issues.

May 06, 2013

Amendments to DPP-2011: An Analytical Overview

On April 20th, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) of the Ministry of Defence announced 15 major amendments to the defence procurement and production policies, with the hope to incentivise indigenous defence manufacturing while promoting transparency and efficiency in the procurement process.

May 06, 2013

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