Indian defence budget to rise… but not by enough
On 1 February, the Indian government announced a FY2019/20 interim defence budget amounting to INR3.019 trillion ($42.7 billion), excluding pensions, the highest ever figure in the nation’s history. This figure marks a year-on-year increase of 8.08%, but many analysts are complaining it is insufficient to modernise the country’s armed forces.
In the past year, the three armed services faced shortages of around 30% compared to what they needed.
Finance Minister Piyush Goyal noted that the total defence budget, accounting for 15.48% of the central government’s expenditure, represents 1.52% of national GDP. Yet India’s GDP is expected to grow 11.5% in
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Defence Notes
-
![UK urged to prioritise sea, air and space over heavy armour]()
UK urged to prioritise sea, air and space over heavy armour
A report from the Council on Geostrategy argues the UK should move away from a traditional balanced force and shift investment to naval, air and space capabilities, backed by a larger fleet of attack submarines and deeper AUKUS integration.
-
![Thales: deployment speed to determine winners in ‘production versus production’ era]()
Thales: deployment speed to determine winners in ‘production versus production’ era
At its technology summit in London, attended by Shephard, Thales UK examined the importance of speed to delivery, the growing focus on cross-domain capabilities and how procurement reform could be crucial for future battlefield advantage.
-
![Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain]()
Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain
Are all systems ready for the next mission? Have upgrades been applied? Are all assets aligned to deploy together, on time and fully prepared? In modern defence operations, readiness is no longer measured platform by platform. It is measured by how well people, assets, data and decisions move together — across land, sea and air.
