Defence Acquisition Process: A Systems View

Vikram Taneja

Defence capital acquisition has been a topic intensely debated in these times both globally as well as in India. This book examines the complex subject from multiple paradigms of systems approach and programme management backed by empirical research unveiling a fresh facet of the Indian acquisition canvass known hither to fore more for its adverse aspects than its accomplishments and triumphs. The author argues that the scope of high value defence procurements spans much beyond mere procedural dimension and other components of the system viz the structural aspects are not accorded the impetus they deserve in tune with the progressive acquisition organisations. The systems approach examines this discipline from the criterion of interaction between its components rather than their individual behaviour. Similarly, the raison d’etre of the acquisition system i.e. meeting the aspirations of the defence forces through timely procurement of weapons and equipment within the allocated budget, also cannot be achieved individually by its components or sub-systems namely the planning, budgetary, procedural, supply chain and the structural sub-systems but through their ideal interplay.

The systems approach if applied to the defence capital acquisition system will bring to the fore an entirely novel view of this discipline in the Indian context and integrate the Indian acquisition ecosystem to global standards through the programme management dimension. This book is an objective commentary on the holistic functioning of the existing acquisition system in the backdrop of the contemporary strategic scenario and will serve an ideal reference for its practitioners and exponents alike.

Vikram Taneja Brig Vikram Taneja is a 1988 batch Army Ordnance Corps officer. The extremely relevant and contemporary topic of Defence capital acquisitions has been his research area as faculty at the College of Defence Management and later as a senior fellow at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies Delhi Cantt.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface
1. Modernisation Shapes and Contours
2. Overview of Defence Capital Acquisition System
3. Systemic Problems in the Acquisition System
4. A Systems Approach to Defence Capital Acquisitions in India
5. Programme Management Structure for Defence Acquisitions: The Way Forward