Three events coalesce in August. Not equally momentous of course. But each deserving of remembrance. Seventy seven years of India’s independence; five years of revocation of Articles 370 and 35A in Jammu & Kashmir; and 21 years of FORCE. So, weaving together the three events, this special issue of FORCE looks at the future from the perspective of strengthening the present.
It’s no state secret that independent India’s history is marked by several missed opportunities, especially in the realm of national security. Far too many issues were allowed to fester in the hope that time would resolve them. And as far as the unresolvable ones were concerned, the thinking was that the government of India was both big and patient to outlast them.
Unfortunately, this policy over the years, has extracted a cost in terms of disaffection, impoverishment and brutalisation of a large number of Indian citizens, who because of their collective unaddressed grievances unknowingly hold the nation back. And this is not just in the insurgency affected regions, but also in the mainstream, where ill-conceived policies are having an effect opposite of what was intended.
Given this, the highlights of this edition of FORCE include a special report on Make in India and why it has not been able to go beyond a slogan. Make in India in defence directly impacts nation’s defence preparedness, hence an underperforming policy compromises national security. It doesn’t just need a relook, it needs to go back to the drawing board. The article argues that manufacturing should be just one part of the defence industry and not its sum total. The bigger and more critical aspect of making in India should be researching and developing in India. Without a sound R&D base, defence manufacturing would remain merely assembling of equipment.
The other section of focus is the reevaluation of the Agnipath scheme. Since the government has agreed to review the scheme, the FORCE article suggests ways in which the bad scheme can still be made to work to some extent. Complementing this is another article on the notion of technology making human soldiers superfluous. The writer argues that technology absorption in the military demands better qualified and trained personnel, rather than fewer, ill-trained soldiers.
The August issue opens and closes with columns on India’s foreign policy. While the opening article assesses Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Russia, the closing article by Pravin Sawhney looks at India’s foreign policy choices in their entirety, pointing out the missteps which risks India missing the industrial revolution bus—this time, the fourth one.
In addition to that are the FORCE regulars, like books, and news from the industry and the services. Happy happies to all.