India’s CDS raises concerns over domestic defence capabilities

NEW DELHI: India’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan has publicly voiced concerns about the capabilities, primarily performance and delivery timelines, of India’s defence industry, saying greater transparency is needed regarding the sector’s true capabilities.

Speaking at a defence forum this week, Chauhan said defence reforms “cannot be a one-sided process,” stressing that industry stakeholders must be honest about their capacity to meet contractual deadlines and localisation targets. “You cannot sign contracts and then fail to deliver on time. This represents a loss in our industrial capability,” he said.

Chauhan also said that the accuracy of indigenous content claims remains a concern. “Many companies say their products are 70 per cent locally made, but this is not always true. You must tell the truth about your domestic capability, it directly affects national security,” he told attendees.

DELAYS TRIGGER FRUSTRATION WITHIN ARMED FORCES

His remarks come amid growing frustration inside the Indian armed forces over delayed weapons systems and stalled procurement projects. Senior military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to local media, have said that missed deadlines in key programmes have strained operational planning.

While the Indian government has invested heavily in the “Make in India” defence initiative in recent years, critics argue that several major projects have not met delivery schedules, despite receiving significant funding. Chauhan’s unusually candid comments have been interpreted by analysts as a sign of deeper dissatisfaction within the services.

INDUSTRY PUSHBACK AND POLITICAL REACTIONS

Defence industry representatives maintain that they are working within challenging procurement procedures and regulatory constraints, arguing that timelines often slip due to shifting military requirements or testing delays.

Opposition parties, meanwhile, have seized on Chauhan’s remarks to criticise the government’s defence modernisation record, alleging poor planning and internal mismanagement.

Government officials have not directly responded to the criticism but have said that reforms and indigenous capability development remain top priorities.