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| Archive data: Person was Research Fellow at IDSA till September 2020 |
Dr. Laxman Kumar Behera joined MP-IDSA in September 2006. He specialises on issues related to Arms Procurement, Defence Offsets, Defence Industry, Military Spending, and Export Control. Dr. Behera has authored numerous policy-relevant research publications. His book Indian Defence Industry: An Agenda for Making in India provides a comprehensive analysis of India’s evolving arms manufacturing sector. Dr. Behera has given numerous talks on defence, security and finance related issues in prestigious training and academic institutes, including College of Defence Management, National Academy of Defence Production, National Institute of Financial Management and Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. Dr. Behera was closely associated with several high level Committees set up by the Ministry of Defence to examine Defence Acquisition and Defence Expenditure. He worked as a Consultant to the Taskforce on Defence Modernisation and Self-reliance, constituted by the National Security Council Secretariat. The Report, presented to the Prime Minister, had been the basis for several reforms carried through the Defence Procurement Procedures (DPP). He has been part of three IDSA study teams that prepared reports for the Seventh Central Pay Commission; Expenditure Management Commission, Ministry of Finance; and Director General (Acquisition), MoD.
Seminar on Outsourcing Possibilities in Defence: Some Impressions
The Ministry of Defence (Finance) organised a day-long seminar on March 24, 2007 on Outsourcing Possibilities in Defence. The seminar brought together a variety of perspectives – of the Services, the Ministry of Defence, industry, academia and think tanks. The March 24 event was a follow-up to the first-of-its-kind International Seminar on Defence Finance and Economics held in November 2006. Its importance lies in the fact that not long ago ‘defence’ was considered a ‘strategic’ affair and thereby excluded from public scrutiny and economic analysis.
The Indian Defence Budget 2007-08
On February 28, 2007, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram presented the Union Budget for the fiscal Year 2007-08 (April 1, 2007 - March 31, 2008). Out of a total budgeted expenditure of Rs. 6,80,521 crore, Rs. 96,000 crore was earmarked for national Defence, which includes allocations to the three Services - Army, Navy and Air Force - Defence Ordnance Factories, and the Defence Research and Development Organisation. This is besides the allocation of Rs. 16, 695.83 crore for Defence Civil Estimates, including Rs. 14,649 crore for Defence Pensions.
The US Defence Budget for 2008
On February 5, 2007, President Bush presented his administration's budget for fiscal year 2008 (October 1, 2007 to September 30, 2008). Out of a total budgetary allocation of US $2.9 trillion for all sectors, $623 billion (21 per cent) was earmarked for defence purposes, including those for war efforts in various parts of the world. With the new budget, America's military budget has doubled since Bush took office in 2000 and is now higher in real terms than any other year in the last half-century.
China's Defence White Paper: Can India Draw Some Lessons?
On 29 December 2006, China released its latest white paper on national defence. Though this document is widely perceived as opaque in budgetary facts and figures, it gives policy makers and analysts enough information to analyse China's regional and global security and political roles. Two crucial aspects of the paper -- defence modernisation plan and defence budget -- have significant bearing on India, considering the political and economic rivalry between the two neighbours.
Economics of Indo-US Nuclear Deal
With President Bush signing the India-US nuclear co-operation bill into law, critics and supporters of the bill have once again reinforced their stated positions over the future benefits and losses accruing to both countries as well as the world at large. While supporters have left no stone unturned in emphasising upon the strategic, bilateral and political importance of the bill, critics have flatly described it as an 'historical mistake' which will hound efforts to curb nuclear proliferation in years to come.
Impression on International Seminar on Defence Finance and Economics
The recently concluded three-day international seminar on Defence Finance and Economics, organised by the Indian Ministry of Defence (Finance) in New Delhi, covered a wide variety of issues concerning defence finance and economics and reflected on varied perspectives and practices from across the globe. The seminar was of particular importance because of the involvement of policy makers, academics, and other experts from think tanks and the media, in exchanging and discussing their views in the realm of the changing business and spectrum of defence worldwide.