India’s CDS slams defence firms for failing to meet delivery commitments
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India's Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan. — Reuters/File
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India’s Chief of Defense Staff, General Anil Chauhan, on Sunday criticized the country’s defense companies, saying many firms have failed to maximize publicity and deliver on time, raising concerns over the reliability of equipment.
Addressing a seminar in New Delhi, the CDS criticized several manufacturers for misleading the Army by falsely branding imported goods as “70% indigenous”.
CDS said, “We expect a bit of nationalism and patriotism in your profit-driven endeavours. I am given to understand… Actually, the army was telling me that they are scouting for the purchase of 5 and 6 EPs, most people have advertised more and they have failed to deliver this time.”
According to Indian publication The Print, EP refers to contingency procurement under which the services are given powers to sign services to improve their capabilities without going through the Ministry of Defense’s procurement process.
He also criticized Indian firms for repeatedly failing to deliver defense equipment ordered under emergency procurement options, despite government claims of exceptional military capability.
Chauhan said companies have “over-advertised” and routinely missed deadlines, depleting the armed forces of critical capabilities.
CDS has warned that national security has been compromised by such misrepresentation, noting that contracts are being awarded to firms with no real manufacturing capabilities, which merely reproduce imported materials.
“The industry will have to show us the truth about the capabilities we have. You can’t leave us on a contract. You sign a contract, don’t deliver at that particular time, that’s a capability that is being lost. You have to face the truth about your indigenous capability. There could be security issues,” he added.
Chauhan further criticized defense suppliers for inflated prices and lack of competition, saying Indian firms were “overpriced” even for international markets.
He asserted that the armed forces could not be spared “to any extent” when companies failed to meet treaty obligations.
His remarks are in sharp contrast to Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” defense production.
After the four-day armed conflict with Pakistan, CDS Chauhan admitted that the country had lost several fighter jets during its recent military clash with Pakistan.
In an interview with Bloomberg, CDS admitted for the first time that Indian fighter jets were indeed shot down during the recent hostilities with Pakistan. Without specifying the number of losses, Chauhan said the mistakes were identified and rectified early.
“The important thing is not that the jets are being downed, but why they are being downed. The good thing is that we are able to understand the tactical error, treat it, correct it, and then re-implement it two days later and get all our jets flying again, targeting at long range,” he said.
In May, Pakistan and India engaged in a military showdown, the worst between the decades-old foes, sparked by a terrorist attack on tourists in the Pahalgam area of Ayujak, which New Delhi said was backed by Pakistan.
Islamabad denied involvement in the Kashmir attack, which killed 26 people and was the worst attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Following the incident, India launched illegal attacks on Pakistan for three days, killing scores of innocent civilians, before Pakistan’s armed forces retaliated in defense with the successful Operation Boninum Marsos.
Pakistan shot down seven IAF fighter jets, including three Rafales, and dozens of drones. After at least 87 hours, the war between the two nuclear-armed nations ended on May 10 with a cease-fire agreement brokered by the United States of America.
