Future
Analysis of the Central Intelligence Agency indicates that India is projected to possess the fourth most capable concentration of power by 2015. According to a report published by the US Congress, India is the developing world's leading arms purchaser.
Stephen P. Cohen and Sunil Dasgupta have criticised ongoing efforts of modernising the armed forces, claiming that unless accompanied by significant political reforms, India's efforts to modernize its armed forces will not alter the country's ability to deal with critical security threats.
Despite efforts however India's over reliance on foreign suppliers for military equipment has led to the armed forces Research & Development (R&D) expenditure being cut in real terms, while the armed forces still face the challenge of ageing equipment and the slow pace of modernisation. In a leaked letter to Prime Minister, General Singh raised the issue of shortcomings within the armed forces. It was found that; the Indian Army lacked sufficient ammunition across its main battle tank fleet while its infantry forces were "crippled with deficiencies" and were lacking key equipment. Additionally, the Army's Air-defence systems were found to be 97% obsolete and special forces were under-equipped and lacking essential weapons.
India is investing 9,970.16 crore (US$1.8 billion) to build a dedicated and secure optical fiber cable (OFC) network for exclusive use of the Army, Navy and Air Force. This will be one of the world's largest closed user group (CUG) networks.
Read more about this topic: Indian Armed Forces
Famous quotes containing the word future:
“Given for one instant an intelligence which could comprehend all the forces by which nature is animated and the respective positions of the beings which compose it, if moreover this intelligence were vast enough to submit these data to analysis, it would embrace in the same formula both the movements of the largest bodies in the universe and those of the lightest atom; to it nothing would be uncertain, and the future as the past would be present to its eyes.”
—Pierre Simon De Laplace (1749–1827)
“The primary function of myth is to validate an existing social order. Myth enshrines conservative social values, raising tradition on a pedestal. It expresses and confirms, rather than explains or questions, the sources of cultural attitudes and values.... Because myth anchors the present in the past it is a sociological charter for a future society which is an exact replica of the present one.”
—Ann Oakley (b. 1944)
“It is marvelous indeed to watch on television the rings of Saturn close; and to speculate on what we may yet find at galaxy’s edge. But in the process, we have lost the human element; not to mention the high hope of those quaint days when flight would create “one world.” Instead of one world, we have “star wars,” and a future in which dumb dented human toys will drift mindlessly about the cosmos long after our small planet’s dead.”
—Gore Vidal (b. 1925)