India’s top military officer castigates defence companies for delays

NEW DELHI: India’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan has castigated the country’s defence industry, exposing deep fissures in New Delhi’s self-proclaimed drive for military self-reliance and raising fresh questions about the reliability of equipment.

Speaking at a seminar in New Delhi, the CDS slammed several manufacturers for misleading the military by falsely branding imported equipment as “70 percent indigenous”.

“We expect a bit of nationalism and patriotism in your profit-driven endeavours. I am given to understand… actually, the Army was telling me that they were scouting for 5th and 6th EP procurements, most of the people have over-promised things and they have failed to deliver in that time-frame,” the CDS said.

According to Indian publication The Print, EP refers to emergency procurements under which the services have been given powers to sign contracts up to INR3 billion each to beef up their capabilities without going through the procurement processes of the defence ministry.

He also criticised Indian firms for repeatedly failing to deliver defence equipment ordered under emergency procurement powers, despite government claims of unprecedented military capacity.

Chauhan said companies had “over-promised” and routinely missed deadlines, leaving the armed forces short of critical capabilities.

The CDS warned that such misrepresentation compromised national security, noting that contracts were being awarded to firms with no real manufacturing capability, which simply repackaged imported material.

“Industry will have to be truthful about their capabilities to us. You cannot leave us in a lurch. You sign a contract, don’t deliver in that particular time, it is a capability that is being lost. You have to be truthful about your indigenous capability. There could be security-related issues,” he added.

Chauhan further rebuked defence suppliers for inflated pricing and lack of competitiveness, saying Indian firms were “overpriced” even for international markets.

He stressed that the armed forces could not be left “in a lurch” when companies failed to meet contractual obligations. His remarks sharply contrast with Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” defence production.