Defending DRDO: Restructure the Responsibilities

A strategic transformation of DRDO is needed to chart a course for excellence in defence technology and a more agile and responsive future

- MANISH KUMAR JHA

A HIGH-POWERED COMMITTEE, HEADED BY former Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government K. Vijay Raghavan Committee recommends major changes in DRDO, which is based on a renewed thrust to address the critical gaps in R&D in defence in India. Then the burden is solely put on the DRDO as the only credible institution, shouldering the entire spectrum of military technology for the Indian Armed Forces. It is also the result of a simple outcome that the most crucial aspect of building capabilities depends on many elusive technologies that are hard to acquire through existing mechanisms. What adds to the problem is the lack of R&D in the private sector in its entirety. While the reason is plenty, the core of the argument rests on the defence R&D being a heavy investment-centric exercise.

The committee’s recommendation is tabled before the highest echelons of the government and some of the reports talk about the structural changes and core competencies of the DRDO. These are speculative as usual. However, what is pertinent is the fundamentals which revolve around the anomalies which exist. It is also true that DRDO as an institution, a lone warrior, is responsible for the Research, Design & Development of military systems & platforms, the scale is so staggering, it baffles!

DRDO: Many Tasks, Myriad Roles