In my recent blog (dt 25 Nov), I argued that India’s defence industry must step forward with confidence and innovation, producing the kind of cutting-edge technologies that give our forces a decisive advantage. But there is an, equally urgent truth that must be stated with clarity and that is ‘the Indian military must not dilute its specifications simply because the domestic industry is not ready or mature enough to meet them’. The CDS and the Services Chiefs too have been exhorting the industry to rise to the occasion as they put forth their modernisation plans with a sense of urgency.

A modern military cannot adopt a “make do” mindset. It cannot soften requirements, compromise on capability, or accept technological mediocrity in the hope that the system  will catch up later. The armed forces are not a training ground for manufacturing. They are the shield of the nation. Their task is unforgiving, and failure is catastrophic. A soldier facing a drone swarm, an artillery barrage, a hypersonic threat, or a cyber-electromagnetic attack does not have the luxury of excuses. His survival, and the success of his mission, depends on the quality of the tools the nation places in his hands.

For two decades, forces across the world have modernised rapidly. The battlefield has shifted into AI-enabled targeting systems, drone–mesh warfare, smart munitions, space-based ISR and EM-spectrum manoeuvre. India’s adversaries have invested in decisive technologies, many of which are designed specifically to exploit our vulnerabilities and compress our decision cycles.

In such an environment, the Indian military does not just deserve the best, butit requires the best to maintain deterrence, credibility and combat effectiveness.

Indigenisation is important. It is essential for long-term resilience, economic growth, national confidence and strategic autonomy. But indigenisation is a path, not a platform on which wars are fought. It cannot override the operational needs of the military. The soldier cannot be asked to wait for industry to mature, or to fight with suboptimal systems because the defence ecosystem is still learning.

The logic is simple

If India demands the best, industry will rise to the challenge.

The armed forces must set uncompromising, world-class specifications whether for UAVs, EW systems, artillery, armoured vehicles, rifles, communications, cyber systems or battlefield management systems. The industry’s responsibility is to meet those specifications, not the other way around. In fact, tough specifications are the greatest catalyst for innovation. They force industry to collaborate, invest in R&D, attract talent, engage global leaders, and take technological risks.

This is how capability evolves worldwide.

The U.S. military didn’t accept watered-down requirements for the F-35 or Patriot systems.

Israel didn’t lower expectations for Iron Dome just to give its industry time.

Turkey didn’t compromise on accuracy and reliability when building Bayraktar drones.

In every case, demand drove innovation. Tough specifications forced industry to grow.

India must adopt the same mindset. There is no choice between “Combat Effectiveness” and “Make in India”, Op preparedness is imperative.

Indigenisation must continue, of course. But it must occur in parallel, not at the cost of capability. Where Indian industry is ready, it must be supported aggressively. Where it is almost ready, it must be incubated and accelerated. And where it is not ready, the military must not be held hostage to gaps that could cost lives and compromise national security.

A future conflict, especially one fought under intense tempo, precision fire, saturation drone attacks and contested electromagnetic environments will not wait for developmental capacity-building. It will be won by the side better equipped, better networked, better informed and better armed.

Our soldiers deserve the best.

Our military planners must demand the best.

Our industry must rise to the level of ambition set by the armed.

India has the talent, the innovators, the private sector energy and the national resolve to build world-class systems. But this ascent begins only when the military articulates uncompromising, high-performance requirements, and refuses to dilute them.

In the hierarchy of national priorities, the defence of the nation and the lives of soldiers stand above everything else. Capability comes first. Everything else follows.

National security cannot be subordinated to industrial handholding, however well-intentioned.

Col Ashwani Sharma (Retd) is a founding member of T4 – the Tech Think Tank, which delivered a thought-provoking presentation on Technology and Warfare during the Mechanised Forces Symposium.