But India’s own defence modernization programme is faltering. This year, the Indian government has allocated only 1.8 per cent of its gross domestic product to defence, although, ostensibly, military expenditure has gone up by 11.58 per cent. This is only the second time in over three decades that the defence to GDP ratio has fallen below 2 per cent of the GDP.
…Over the last two decades, the military expenditure of India has been around 2.75 per cent.
…The armed forces, for long, have been asking for an allocation of 3 per cent of the nation’s GDP to defence. This has received broad political support in recent years. The Indian prime minister has been explicit about this, suggesting that “if our economy grows at about 8 per cent per annum, it will not be difficult for [the Indian government] to allocate about 3 per cent of GDP for national defence”.
…
But greater defence expenditure alone will not solve the problems plaguing Indian defence policy.
…The defence acquisition process remains mired in corruption and bureaucratic hassles.
…
The Indian government is yet to demonstrate the political will to tackle the defence policy paralysis, which seems to be rendering all the claims of India’s rise as a military power increasingly hollow. The capability differential between China and India is rising at an alarming rate.