By Maj Gen (Dr.) Ashok Kumar, VSM (Retired)
New Delhi. 11 October 2024. There are multiple reasons affecting the effective and critically needed support for the equipment currently in use in the defence forces. Some of the reasons may be non – availability of spares, capacity constraints and unwillingness on part of industry and many more. The state needs to be improved as we have active adversaries on both our borders, Western as well as Northern wherein LOC and LAC both are active.
As we move towards the jointness, integration and theatreisation, the intermeshing of MRO support assumes greater importance. The integrated approach of logistics support both during peace and war needs to be aligned to our future operational needs with special focus on MRO support. The envisaged changes will result in newer doctrinal concepts but the tools of war fighting in terms of equipment with Army, Navy and IAF will not be changing that fast being a time taking activity more so when the disruptions due to niche technologies are changing the very concept of war fighting.
India has to manage its legacy, current and future equipment, all at the same time despite varying nature of challenges associated with each category of equipment. The problem becomes more critical for the foreign OEM based products which are yet to be indigenously produced in the country. As is the critically for India to fast-track development of the equipment needed by the Defence Forces indigenously, similar or more pronounced need is to develop capability of MRO support that too in operationally acceptable time frame.
Russia-Ukraine war since Feb 22 and Israel-Hamas conflict since 07Oct 23 are testimony to the enhancing need of MRO support required for the winner in the battlefield. Lack of quality MRO support exposed Russia despite having a mammoth Armed Forces as well as its status of an exporter of defence equipment to large No of countries. Russia appears to have learnt its lessons well wherein doctrinal concepts are being modified to minimise the equipment losses thus reducing the pressure on MRO support. Simultaneously, production lines and MRO resources are being boosted to ensure that the damage to the equipment is minimised and whatever is damaged is revitalised without being moved out of Tactical Battle Area (TBA). Israel-Hamas conflict in terms of inflicting equipment casualties was marginal. As this conflict is spreading to LEBNON, YEMAN, SERIA and IRAN wherein ground offensive has also commenced in Southern LEBNON, the equipment casualties are likely to be much higher. Not only this, the regular missile attacks on Israel may affect its AF resources as well as other equipment facilities including the MRO support resources both quantitatively as well as qualitatively. This will be of paramount importance as the war rages enhancing its coverage and lethality. If an apt MRO support is not available, it may affect even a country like Israel having technological prowess even if it is supported by USA and its NATO allies.
When the countries like Russia and Israel need a vibrant MRO support for their operational needs, this assumes much more importance for India especially when our borders are so vast that too with harsh, mountainous and glaciated terrain both for China as well as for Pakistan (J &K portion). Such a situation demands a more vibrant MRO support system for India adopting the Tri-services integrated approach. Large No of locational, skilling and process related issues will need to be analysed and fine-tuned for optimisation and efficiency while simultaneously developing the indigenous solutions both for equipping as well as for MRO support of the Defence forces. A major rejig of base repairs or equivalent will also need to be done.
The revitalised MRO support has to focus on combatants at least in TBA whereas it should focus on Public-Private partnership industries including OEMs for MRO support for major repairs/ overhauls beyond the TBA. The ‘Whole of Nation’ approach needs to be developed for this as well. A potent MRO infrastructure combined with forward looking pragmatic policy can result in enhancing the Comprehensive National Power (CNP) in a big way wherein it can usher an era of ‘Maintain in India’ thus enhancing the defence related exports. Large No of veterans who have served as maintainers can play a pivotal role towards this.
The current standoff at LAC in Eastern Ladakh still remains tense with huge conflict potential despite indications that the issue is probably nearing some kind of solution. It is therefore important that the capacity creation must be given the requisite impetus so that disruptions during the envisaged transformation of the defence forces can be fully stabilised well before any conflict starts.
The following end state is desired:
- Clearing of backlog of overhauls of all gun systems, A vehicles and other major equipment in a time bound manner. Condition assessment-based approach will be more pragmatic.
- Ensure that no future backlog emerges.
- Create capacities for quality support to legacy, current and future equipment simultaneously.
- Create structures and capacities not only to ensure that MRO support is provided qualitatively only in the peace stations but is agile enough to ensure this support in the battlefield conditions in the terrains as existing an LOC and LAC besides in other border areas in operationally acceptable timeframe.
- Manpower accretion may look at non retained Agniveers of EME as well as support of Private Sector coordinated by EME. EME Veterans also need to be leveraged.
The world is at the cusp of major disruptions which will result in emergence of a new world order. The present conditions for India are favourable and can be leveraged better once we have full complement of indigenous equipment for our defence forces backed up by a potent and indigenous MRO support.
(Maj Gen Ashok Kumar, VSM (Retd) is Director General Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS), a Kargil war veteran and a defence analyst. He specialises on neighbouring countries with special focus on China. The views in the article are solely the author’s. He can be contacted at editor.adu@gmail.com).
