Foreign Equipment and lowering morale issues for the Army
Written by Ramakrishna goud on 1:13 AMDependence on imported equipment and low morale of the officers was posing a serious problem for the Indian Army, its former chief Gen. V.P. Malik said here Saturday. “Even today we are importing 70 percent of our equipment. As long as we have to depend on equipment from outside, we will be inconvenienced by any rise in prices,” he said.
To buttress his argument, Malik referred to how Russia suddenly escalated the cost of an aircraft carrier by $1.2 billion last year.
Malik,Ex Army Chief chief during the 1999 Kargil war, said at that time, Indian troops were low on tangible assets, but high on morale and confidence.
“This asset is almost on the verge of extinction now. There is an acute shortage of officers. Young men and women with great leadership capabilities are not joining. Those in the army want to quit,” he said, while addressing a seminar on “Indian Defence Forces’ preparedness to deal with challenges of the 21st century.”
“The low morale of the forces is becoming visible. I couldn’t dream of such a scenario when I joined the army,” he regretted.He also criticised the political leadership for ignoring the recommendation to create the post of Chief of Defence Staff.“That was a right recommendation made years ago. But the government chickened out. This was unfortunate.”
Malik expressed himself against using the army for internal security duties.
Source:ThaiIndian
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