India is loosing many fighter jets like MIG-21 series and Sukoi, Jaguar, and other fighter jets just by air crash during this decade. The loss is much more than engaging war with any other country. The problem cited in this continuous episode is that due to corruption in military establishment, low maintenance and upkeepment, lack of skilled manpower availability for proper maintenance, non-availability and expensive spare parts which always have to heavily depend on other countries. We are not just loosing expensive fighter jets, we are also loosing skilled pilots.

Every time, if there is a crash the authorities concerned try to put the blame on human error. In any of the report the maintenance engineers and in charge or the people responsible for procurement of inferior quality of machinery and equipments never ever indicted and did not take action. It cannot ignore the fact that India’s failure.

So far no serious inquiries conducted for continuous crash of our expensive fighter jets. Corruption and lack of transparency in defence procurement, vested interest in defence blocking the development of indigenous technology, not opening up private sector participation in defense sector is some of the major cause frequent failure in defense sector.

Many weapon and other arms and equipments lying idle for years together and it become a mere show piece for the military. Its operational accuracy and effectiveness in the field is now questionable and now due to lack of use in the field and kept idle for years together.

The foot soldier facing the enemy is ill equipped with latest technology and light weight arms and most of the defense expenditure goes to purchasing unused big weapons and diverting it to other areas while India need sophistication and modernization of military hardware and technology advancement for the soldiers who immediately facing the enemy. During Kargil crisis, how our hundreds of brave soldiers lost their lives is the best example how we are ill equipped in handling crisis. Indian military establishment could not afford to give bullet proof and light weight shoes which might have saved hundreds of lives while guarding Siachin. While soldiers of China and Pakistan are better equipped than Indian counterpart.

India is ill equipped in security surveillance at the border which could have been done better by adopting latest cheap technologies like security surveillance cameras, satellite technologies and other modernisation and effective and ‘timely’ use of Air force could have done much better.

Whenever, read newspaper report about induction of expensive jets, missiles, guns and other equipments, within months and years, it becomes non-operational, crashed or ruined itself. The latest induction of ‘AWACS’ from Israel, within some months and years, we can read a news that ‘AWACS’ crashed or non-operational or anything such news or no whereabouts. Again a wasting a crores of rupees and it is going to be a showpiece. We can induct into museum.

Whenever we read the figure about defense procurement like 10,000 crores, 42,000 crores for Gorshav etc. how we are spending thousands of crores just to make showpiece and museum piece while India’s half of the population living below poverty line. Just abandon such purchase and distribute the money directly among the poor, our poverty might have alleviated and we might have better internal security and law and order situation in the country.

Talibanisation of Pakistan, growing clout of China in Asian region and rising leftist violence like Naxal and Mao spreading India is a worrisome factors. Lack of command and control, clear leadership at all level clearly visible, whether it is political, military, police, bureaucracy, judiciary making internal security vulnerable. The mishandling of 26/11 at Mumbai crisis is a clear case on this issue and still the drama is going on, still the responsibility not fixed and nobody punished.

Indian growing corruption and internal security becomes a matter of concern. The enemies are within than outside. If India is go for a war, we cannot win a war on its own without outside support. At the present circumstances, we cannot win a small war. When just a few number of lonely terrorist shaken India, who is fighting from our own soil, how can we believe that we can fight a large force outside. Instead of making rhetoric, India should learn to fight enemy inside.

So far there is no detailed study report/ information available to the public about the captured arms and ammunition recovered by police and military establishments, whether it is inducted into the forces and if not, what happened to them? Whether it is reaching to anti-social elements and terrorists. Who is monitoring these activities? Many unanswered questions. Whether the present Defense Minister Mr. A.K.Antony make a clean up act? What is the government of India’s stand on these issues?

aamadmi