India's defence preparedness has fallen short and is lagging behind that of China.
India's first, full-fledged woman defence minister, Nirmala Sitharaman must be feeling like a die-hard soldier, dropped into an uncharted territory to combat the rough terrain of the defence ministry. Going by her past performance and commitment to come out a winner, she is likely to face the challenges head on. Yes, her expertise lies in economics and commerce which makes the job a lot more challenging and a bit daunting. At a time when everyone seems to be trusting their experts to manage defence affairs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to assign defence portfolio to Nirmala Sitharaman speaks about the confidence he has in the new Raksha Mantri of India.
Pakistan has remained a perennial trouble maker, but now China has joined the chorus. Pakistan's political establishment and defence forces have long been creating trouble in Jammu and Kashmir. China has become belligerent and Doklam standoff just revealed the border issue should be addressed in a planned manner and efforts should be made to find a long time solution. China is making every effort to shield Pakistan and not letting India's serious concerns get addressed at International forums.
Even before the start of BRICS summit in Xiamen, a foreign ministry spokeswoman from China signalled that Beijing will object to any discussion about Pakistan's role in sheltering terrorists during the BRICS meet. This is an indication that Pakistan is likely to continue with its strategy for India and border clashes will be regularly witnessed, and infiltration of terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir will not change.
Specialist handling Defence portfolios
When you have hostile neighbours--Pakistan, China--having specialist handling Defence portfolios, Nirmala Sitharaman would take some time to understand their mentality, strategy and working style before she starts pulling the strings to make things work for India. From troops movements to terrain hardships, a lot depends on one's first-hand experience in the sector. Those who have worked in the defence forces or have a prior association with the defence ministry can hit the road running when assigned the top post as Defence Minister. Narendra Modi government needs to face Lok Sabha elections in 2019, and there is not much room for any experiment especially when Pakistan and China seem in no mood to let the border witness real peace in the near future.
Defence preparedness not inspiring
India's defence preparedness has fallen short and is lagging behind that of China. Taking a crucial step, the Centre has approved structural reforms for army overhaul following the recommendation of Shekatkar committee which was constituted to recommend measures for enhancing combat capability and rebalancing defence expenditure of the armed forces. This would make around 57,000 men available for combat operations. But more reforms need to be introduced and new defence minister should make it a priority to bring about deep reforms in the defence sector.
Gender equality
Our 14-lakh strong armed forces have just about 3,500 women among the 62,000 officers. Women are also not allowed to join the infantry, artillery and armoured corps. They are also not allowed to serve on board sea-faring warships. Some progress has been made in this area but a lot needs to be done.
Nirmala Sitharaman loves to maintain low-profile but always asserts herself whenever required. Her deft handling of various issues in the past have earned her many followers. Defence is a major challenge and she needs to tread the path with utmost care.
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 "Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman")
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