India has embarked on an ambitious reform agenda to transform its defence procurement system, aiming to dramatically reduce acquisition timelines from the current 5-7 years to just six months. The Defence Ministry has launched comprehensive initiatives to streamline bureaucratic processes, modernise the armed forces, and enhance domestic manufacturing capabilities. These reforms come at a critical juncture as India faces evolving security challenges along its borders and seeks to position itself strategically amidst an accelerating regional arms race and technological advancements in warfare.

India's defence acquisition system has long suffered from procedural inefficiencies that have hampered military modernisation efforts. The existing procurement process involves multiple complex stages, including Acceptance of Necessity (AoN), Request for Information (RFI), Request for Proposal (RFP), vendor selection, evaluations, and cost negotiations, creating a cumbersome system that significantly delays equipment delivery to the armed forces. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh has been notably candid about these issues, describing the current procurement system as "broken" and acknowledging that it has consistently failed to meet established timelines. This characterisation represents a significant admission from a senior official and underscores the urgency of the reform agenda.

The multi-layered approval process currently takes between 5-7 years even for specialised military equipment, creating operational readiness gaps for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. This procurement bottleneck has remained a persistent concern for successive governments, with former Defence Minister Arun Jaitley highlighting the "slow pace" of weapons acquisition as a matter of serious concern back in 2014. The Navy, for instance, has had several acquisition projects stalled for years, including a ₹6,000 crore multi-role helicopter project and the acquisition of torpedoes for Scorpene submarines. These delays have operational implications, especially given India's strategic challenges along its northern and western borders.

The prolonged procurement cycles have created capability gaps across all three service branches, affecting combat readiness and operational capabilities. The Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020, a complex 657-page manual that governs procurement processes, has proven inadequate in addressing these challenges despite previous revisions. The current 96-week (two-year) average acquisition timeline represents a significant hurdle to military modernisation efforts and impacts India's ability to respond effectively to emerging security threats and technological advancements in neighbouring countries.

Strategic Reform Initiatives

In response to these longstanding challenges, the Ministry of Defence has launched a comprehensive reform agenda under the "Year of Reforms" initiative declared for 2025. Central to this initiative is the formation of a dedicated committee led by the Additional Secretary and Director General (Acquisition) to reform the Defence Acquisition Procedure. This committee has been tasked with engaging all relevant stakeholders, including representatives from the armed forces and both public and private sector industries, to develop a more efficient procurement framework.

Streamlining Acquisition Processes

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, has approved significant reforms aimed at reducing the average procurement timeline from 96 weeks to just 24 weeks (six months). These reforms include enforcing strict timelines for key procurement stages and leveraging technological solutions to expedite traditionally time-consuming processes. Field evaluation trials, for example, will now utilise simulated conditions to accelerate testing, while contract negotiations will be completed within six months under the new guidelines.

The committee is working on a complete revamp of the DAP 2020, with targeted improvements to streamline each stage of the acquisition process. This systemic approach recognises that piecemeal reforms have proven insufficient in addressing the fundamental inefficiencies in the procurement system. By redesigning the entire process framework, the Ministry aims to eliminate redundancies, reduce procedural delays, and create a more responsive acquisition ecosystem.

The Defence Secretary has indicated that the reformed procurement policy is expected to be finalised within six to twelve months, suggesting a potential release in fall 2025. The committee tasked with reforming the DAP 2020 aims to complete its work within six months, reflecting the government's sense of urgency regarding these reforms. This accelerated timeline demonstrates the priority assigned to procurement reform within the broader defence modernisation agenda.

A key aspect of the reform approach is extensive consultation with stakeholders across the defence ecosystem. The committee will engage with representatives from the armed forces to ensure that operational requirements are properly addressed, while also involving public and private sector industries to incorporate industry perspectives and capabilities. This collaborative approach aims to create a more balanced and effective procurement system that can deliver military equipment efficiently while fostering domestic industrial capabilities.

The procurement reforms are embedded within a broader strategic vision for India's defence sector, which includes multiple interconnected objectives. A primary goal is to transform India's armed forces into a technologically advanced and combat-ready force capable of addressing contemporary security challenges. This transformation involves not only acquiring modern equipment but also developing new operational concepts and organisational structures.

A significant aspect of the reform agenda is the push for greater self-reliance in defence manufacturing, reflecting a continuation of the "Make in India" policy emphasis that began with earlier defence procurement procedure revisions. The current reforms seek to promote public-private partnerships and research collaborations between domestic industries and foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to enhance indigenous production capabilities. This focus on domestic manufacturing aims to reduce India's dependence on foreign arms imports, addressing what has previously been described as the "embarrassing tag of being the world's largest arms importer".

The reforms also prioritise emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, and advanced materials to ensure that India's military capabilities remain relevant in an evolving technological landscape. Additionally, there is a strong emphasis on fostering jointness through Integrated Theatre Commands, representing a shift toward more integrated and efficient operational structures. These technological and organisational innovations complement the procurement reforms by ensuring that the acquired capabilities can be effectively utilised within a coherent strategic framework.

The defence procurement reforms will operate within the context of India's defence budget allocation of ₹6.81 lakh crore for FY 2025-26, with ₹1.49 lakh crore specifically earmarked for capital acquisitions. This substantial allocation reflects the government's commitment to defence modernisation, though it also underscores the importance of optimising resource utilisation through more efficient procurement processes. The streamlined acquisition procedures aim to ensure that budgetary resources translate more effectively into operational capabilities.

Capital Acquisition Priorities

With ₹1.49 lakh crore dedicated to capital acquisition, the reformed procurement system will need to prioritise critical capabilities across all three service branches. The focus on accelerated timelines should enable more rapid deployment of these resources, potentially allowing for more agile responses to emerging threats and technological opportunities. Efficient resource allocation becomes particularly crucial given the diverse capability requirements across conventional, nuclear, and emerging technology domains.

Conclusion

India's defence procurement reforms represent a significant and necessary step toward military modernisation in an increasingly complex security environment. By addressing the fundamental inefficiencies in the acquisition system, these reforms aim to transform a process that currently takes 5-7 years into one that can deliver critical military equipment within six months. This dramatic reduction in procurement timelines would enhance India's ability to adapt to evolving security challenges and technological developments.

The success of these reforms will depend on effective implementation and sustained commitment across political transitions and bureaucratic hierarchies. The comprehensive approach—combining procedural streamlining, stakeholder engagement, and strategic integration with broader defence objectives—provides a promising foundation for meaningful change.

If successfully executed, these reforms could mark a turning point in India's defence modernisation journey, enabling more rapid capability development while promoting greater self-reliance in defence manufacturing. As the implementation unfolds over the coming months, the reformed procurement system will play a crucial role in determining India's military readiness and strategic positioning in the region.

IDN