Issue Brief on “India’s Massive Military Acquisitions”

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The turbulent 2019 saw a number of regional and international developments that have left a lasting impact on the geopolitical structure of South Asia. The year also saw Pakistan and India on the brink of war after India violated all international norms and carried out a strike across the international border inside Pakistan in February 2019. The Indian attempts were thwarted by Pakistan and also managed to capture one of their pilots. The iron fist response by Pakistan saw Indian Prime Minister chanting for advancement in the Indian air force. His exact words were, “Had Rafale been there, things would have been different.”[1] This reflects the current Indian mind set. As a result, Indian military during the year 2019 made some massive acquisitions and inductions to its arsenals.

It is pertinent to note here that the Indian defense budget for the year 2019-20 stood at $ 61.96 billion, which is the same as 2018-2019 budget in Indian Rupees parity. However, certain custom duties were waived to facilitate the Indian military modernization in the same resources.

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