Defence Acquisition

Defence Procurement Procedure The Unfinished Agenda

It has been a long time since the first set of instructions on defence procurement was issued in 1992. Since then, however, there have been several refinements and additions, based on the feedback from the stakeholders and the experience of the Defence Ministry itself, culminating in the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2011. This is presently under review and it would be reasonable to expect that the changes being contemplated will result in further refinement of the procedure and address some of the concerns expressed from time to time.

Defence Acquisition Institute: A Viewpoint

While delivering the keynote address at the International Seminar on Defence Acquisitions on July 12, 2011, Defence Minister A.K. Antony accepted the need to impart training to the defence acquisition functionaries. Further, he agreed that a dedicated institute needs to be set up for the purpose. It is the first time that the training of acquisition staff has received the attention that it deserves as reforms in India’s defence acquisition regime have so far been limited to procedures only.

The US Defence Acquisition System

This paper makes an attempt to analyse and evaluate the US Department of Defence Acquisition System by highlighting the relationship of the requirements generation and budgeting process, the key actors, the major phases in an acquisition programme, and the major categories of acquisitions. It argues that the Department of Defence Acquisition System represents an ever evolving system-of-systems that attempts to translate Warfighter requirements into actual developed, purchased and fielded systems.

Striking Balance among Diverse Oversight Concerns in Defence Acquisition

Transparency in public procurement bears an immediate cost both for government and bidders. However, it is a key element to support fundamental principles of the public procurement system, especially competition and integrity. The drive for transparency must therefore be tempered by making transparent what sufficiently enables corruption control. If the level of transparency is adequately defined, the benefits will outweigh the cost, especially when comparing the initial cost of transparency with the potential negative consequences of corruption.

Streamlining Defence Acquisition Process

The process for Defence Acquisitions in India has evolved considerably in the last decade or so, and is being refined further. The Ministry of Defence recognizes the importance of timely modernization, and of balancing the operational needs with the requirements of transparency and probity. There are a number of areas where further initiatives are being considered and the Ministry of Defence, in consultation with all stake holders, would be moving forward in this regard.

Arms Acquisition Accountability Processes

Most of the advanced democracies agree that confidentiality is needed in terms of technical performance parameters; the numbers to be procured and methods of deployment, which may provide unique advantages to the user. Instead of the military or the civil servants treating these aspects exclusively as military capability issue, legislative intervention is needed for professionalizing and institutionalizing public accountability of security sector. Parliamentary processes have constitutional legitimacy and duty to examine security sector accountability.