Address to the Young Drdo Scientists, Drdo Bhawan, New Delhi

Evolution of Vision

Knowledge makes you great

Dear Friends

I have been with the DRDO for nearly two decades in different capacities and have shared many dreams and problems and possible solutions with all of you. I am not going to give a lecture to you today. However, I would like to interact and work with you today for the next 40 minutes. What can be the missions of DRDO with the prevailing dynamic conditions within the country and abroad?

I. DRDO and the dynamics of the nation

1. The whole world of warfare is dynamically changing. On one side we have missiles and other weapons. On the other side there are proxy wars, cyber war threats and different forms of low intensity warfare. When India is growing economically at a fast rate many of our economic interest become soft targets.

2. During the last few decades, the emphasis in warfare has shifted away from high intensity conventional war to prolonged low intensity conflict in all regions of the world

3. DRDO has acquired sufficient technological and administrative manpower and technological expertise during the last five decades.

4. You have experienced success, failures which has enabled you to create a sound base and you have learnt many lessons from the failures.

5. In my assessment, the scientific and technological output of all our laboratories is quite high.

6. DRDO functions under the following environment:

a. Users have an increasing budget for time bound equipping and modernizing the three wings of Armed Forces.

b. The Government has provided the funds to the services with the constraint that it has to be committed and spent within the financial year for meeting the requirements given in (a).

c. DRDO and the production agency put together is not in a position to meet all the demands of systems involving large amount of outlay as considerable amount of advance planning is required for establishing the production capacity for DRDO developed items.

d. Since the international military equipment manufacturers are aware of the funds available by Indian Armed Forces, they are naturally competing among themselves to get an order for a large share of the sanctioned funds available for given products.

e. In the present geo-political scenario, we should also note that large quantity demand for Defence products and systems is projected from India in the entire Asian region. The developed countries? demand is fairly low. This introduces a new dimension for marketing the DRDO systems to the services.

f. In certain countries, there is a system of mandate to their Armed Forces that certain percentage of equipments has to be sourced only from indigenous sources. Normally supply of 50 to 60% of the overall budget is mandatory in these countries. We do not have such a mandate in our country. For this mandate to come into force, R & D and production complex have to get transformed.

g. These types of competitive environment in respect of DRDO and Defence production manifest into multiple challenges.

II. The possible solutions ? let us work together

A. Short term Goal (5 years)

a. Commitment to be made for items to be delivered to three services by DRDO and production partners.

b. DRDO can look for production partners from public sector and private sector establishments within and outside India, based on the core-competence and spare capacity.

c. Development of Force multiplier systems.

B. Long term Goal (15 years)

a. What will be needed by services after 15 years? DRDO has to develop a Vision based on the threat perception and technological forecasting.

b. DRDO with Production agencies (Public sector and private sector) should form a consortium for undertaking system design, development, production and marketing to multiple customers both in India and abroad.

c. At least 30% of the scientists have to work for developing long term goal programmes of the services.

d. The linkage with the Universities and Academic institutions has to be revitalized in the model of JATP (Joint Advanced Technology Programme).

e. Defence Institute of Advanced Technology has to become a Centre of Research with high academic environment. Students can be drawn from other than defense institutions. At least ten eminent professors well known for research should become the faculty. This institute will feed scientists for advanced defense system and products. These research based scientists will contribute in enhancing the self-reliance to 70%.

III. I visualize the following systems will be needed by the nation in 15 years from now :

A. Long Range missile Systems (in Less than 10 years with proper war head) taking into account possible conflict zones.

B. Hypersonic cruise missile ? Long range

C. Supersonic Aircraft ? pilot less

D. Nuclear submarine

E. Advanced Inter-Service Integrated Electronic Warfare Systems in the GHZ region with radiation hardened

F. Military Communication Satellites, Military reconnaissance satellites (Exclusive)

G. High end Cryptography ? (encryption and decryption with special purpose algorithms)

H. Multi-role Supersonic Stealth fighter Aircraft ? to meet the Air force and Navy requirement;

I. Airborne Early Warning System (Stealth class)

J. Internationally Competitive Advanced Main Battle Tank ?? Missile firing capability, advanced air defence system, automatic target tracking, battlefield management system, advanced drive-by-wire system and defensive aid system and inter-vehicle information system.

IV. Technologies

A. Convergence of Technologies: ? Information (ICT), Nano and Biotechnology ? this area will miniaturize all subsystems like onboard computers, sensors and even platforms and systems

B. Scramjet technologies

C. Hypersonic aerodynamics

D. High mach number reentry heat shield structures

E. Nano computers

F. Electronic warfare technology

G. Cyber system technology

H. Protection technology for institutions of economic interest

V. Typical organizational dynamics

A. Management Structure

a. Organization should be structured to work towards short term and long term goals simultaneously.

b. Growth potential of the scientists is a function of outstanding performance and proven scientific and technological level.

B. Organizational Culture: When an organization functions for over five decades, it develops a particular type of organizational culture, human resource and infrastructure. A change in the organizational culture is required based on present day technology and infrastructure for meeting the short and long term goals of the services.

C. Re-organisation: The re-organization of DRDO and its partners is essential after every five years based on the dynamics of organizational missions.

D. Leadership: The leader of the organization has to inspire the user and the organization simultaneously. This is definitely a tough mission.

E. Empowerment: The empowered board of management at different levels of the organization is essential.

F. Joint Ventures: Number of Joint Ventures may have to be created with development and production partners from within India and abroad for design, development and leading to production and marketing of defence products within the country and internationally.

G. Strategic Industry Cluster: One immediate goal is to unify the users, developers and producers into technically and economically viable into 5 to 7 Strategic Industry Clusters of DRDO laboratories, selected National Laboratories, and Defence Industries with selected private industries. Some typical Globally competitive Strategic Industry Clusters could be formed as follows:

i. Strategic Communications & Sensors Industry Cluster

ii. Strategic Aerospace & Aviation Industry Cluster

iii. Strategic Armaments and Vehicles Industry Cluster.

iv. Strategic Ocean Systems Industry Cluster

H. National Vision for Defence: Parliament and Government need to set a goal for the nation and the defence ministry that the nation will be self-reliant in defence systems and technologies to the extent of 70% by the year 2020. Self-reliance is essential by the nature of the mission, particularly in the environment of conflicts.

It is indeed a national mission of importance for DRDO, production agencies, industry and Armed Forces to work together and realize the goal of the nation.

Conclusion

I am very happy to have discussed with all of you, friends, some aspects of DRDO. My presentation and the discussion material, I had with you will be on my website within a few minutes. Definitely you can talk to me and discuss with me. I will certainly respond immediately. There is no constraint on who should ask questions, whether young scientists or experienced. The message I want to give you is that technological strength and leadership quality will bring to an organization the strength and the honour. At this juncture, I would like to quote Maharishi Padanjali?s thoughts given in Yoga Sutra.

"When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bounds, your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents come alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamt yourself to be."

My best wishes to the entire DRDO community for success in their mission of making the nation self-reliant in defense technology.

May God bless you.