Budget Frontlines: A long shot from the 2% goalpost for defence funds

A deep dive into the defence budget allocations and strategic challenges, kicking off a three-part analysis

With capital procurement of defence equipment now scheduled to be conducted on a tri-service basis rather than by individual services, the Ministry of Defence has begun presenting the defence capital Budget in a new format.

Instead of grouping the three services — Army, Navy, and Indian Air Force (IAF) — for the same item, equipment will now be grouped item-by-item in the Budget, encouraging combined acquisitions for greater efficiency.

For example, in the purchase of Apache AH-64E attack helicopters, the IAF procured its requirement of 22 Apaches from Boeing separately. Meanwhile, the Army is negotiating separately with