National security can’t afford military delivery delays

Air chief marshal AP Singh’s blunt assessment — “Not a single project that I can think of has been completed on time" — strikes at the core of India’s defence preparedness. Despite headline-making progress in indigenous production, such as the Tejas fighter or Akash missile systems, chronic delays continue to hobble operational readiness and derail modernisation. These delays, often accepted at the contract-signing stage itself, highlight systemic inertia and a culture of over-promising. With adversaries modernising swiftly and conflicts becoming technology-intensive, the price of sluggishness is steep. It’s not just a matter of budgets or bureaucratic red tape, it’s about national security. The government has indeed made strides: domestic production has risen to 65 per cent of the total defence needs, defence exports have jumped to ?24,000 crore and the public-private balance is gradually shifting. Schemes like iDEX are fostering innovation and the private sector now contributes 21 per cent to the total output. However, when delivery lags behind intent, strategic autonomy remains elusive. There are structural gaps that demand attention — from raw material dependencies and insufficient R&D funding to poor coordination between services. Of the Rs 6.81 lakh crore defence budget, only Rs 1.8 lakh crore is earmarked for modernisation, with R&D receiving a paltry 3.94 per cent. Until this imbalance is corrected, breakthroughs will remain sporadic. Declaring three defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) as ‘miniratnas’ is commendable, but performance should be measured not just by profits, but also timely delivery of critical systems. The Air Chief’s warning must be treated as a call to overhaul the defence procurement ecosystem. Transparency in timelines, stricter contract enforcement and empowered project management must replace vague ambition. India’s vision of ‘atmanirbharta‘ in defence cannot afford to be an exercise in delay. National security deserves speed, not excuses.

Editorials