A K Antony goes on overdrive

Stung by General V K Singh highlighting “critical” operational gaps in the Army’s war-fighting capabilities, defence minister A K Antony went on an overdrive to clear five- and 15-year perspective plans of the armed forces hanging fire for long and also tweaked the offsets policy to include technology transfer. But Antony also directed the 1.13-million strong Army to put its own house in order by “streamlining its acquisition process in such a manner that accountability can be fixed for slippages” as well as “compress the time taken for technical evaluations and trials”. The trigger, said MoD sources, was that almost 50% of global tenders or RFPs (request for proposals) floated to procure military hardware and software have been “recalled at an advanced stage” because of “faulty GSQRs (general staff qualitative requirements)” or technical specifications drawn up by the Army. The minister also favoured delegation of “more financial powers” to Service HQs, which stands at a paltry Rs 50 crore, “if it can lead to speedier acquisition” of weapon systems and platforms during his meeting with Gen Singh, defence secretary Shashikant Sharma and director-general (acquisitions) Vivek Rae, among others. There are indications that Antony and Gen Singh have decided to get down to the task of fast-tracking the acquisition process. But Gen Singh’s quest for a one-on-one meeting with the PM to ensure “suitable directions are passed to enhance Army’s preparedness’’ may not materialize soon. The meetings summoned by Antony came in the backdrop of widespread criticism after Gen Singh’s confidential letter to the PM that blamed the long-winded arms procurement process and the recalcitrant bureaucracy for the “critical hollowness’’ in the Army’s capabilities, leaked to the media. They included a Defence Acquisitions Council’s (DAC) meeting, which was also attended by the other two chiefs Admiral Nirmal Verma and Air Chief Marshal N AK Browne.