April started on eventful notes setting the tone for the rest of the month. Three specific incidents deserve mention. The first was the 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and China which was celebrated with gusto by China, though eliciting a tepid response from India. It was clear that while China was keen to normalise ties, India had decided to not go the whole hog for numerous reasons. The uppermost being the dilemma of security competition with China in South Asia where except for tiny Bhutan all small neighbouring nations have joined the Belt and Road Initiative. Determined to reinforce its traditional big brother image in the region, this would not be possible if India and China were to normalise ties and cooperate under the China-India-Plus (small nation) formula agreed at 2018 Wuhan summit.
The second event was the BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok. While this grouping was created in 1992, it got a new lease of life in 2016, when India after abandoning SAARC, resurrected it to infuse momentum in its Act East policy. That China’s ghost loomed over BIMSTEC was evident when Modi met with leaders of Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar who on assuming power in their countries visited China first since India upset with them had not send invitation to visit New Delhi.
The third event was Trump’s tariffs on Indian exports to the US. The US is India’s largest trading partner with USD 45 billion surplus in India’s favour. Unlike China, India acquiesced, willing to negotiate bilateral trade terms since the stakes for the Modi government are strategic. There is hope that Trump would focus on security competition with China in the entire Indo Pacific with India as its military bulwark in the Indian Ocean region.
While the consequences of these events would reflect in the May issue of FORCE, the April issue focus is on the subject which has managed to escape widespread attention—the near culmination of the long-drawn P-75I programme of the Indian Navy. The finalist is a defence public sector shipyard, MDL, despite the delays caused by the government tweaking the procurement procedure, introducing the Strategic Partnership clause to earmark certain programmes for the private sector and later allowing the DPSUs to compete in the same tender. In the end, it has been much ado about nothing. However, there is still time for the contract signing as the price negotiation committee is yet to commence.
Complementing the submarine story is the article on another long-drawn programme—Indian Air Force’s struggle to procure new fighter aircraft. Together, they are an indictment on India’s defence procurement procedures. In addition to these are our regular features and news update from the military services and the defence industry. Enjoy!