GERMAN GENERAL Field Marshal Erwin Rommel’s remark—‘The battle is fought and decided by the quartermasters long before the shooting begins’—highlights the central role of logistics and supply chains in conflict. The outcome of a war hinges on a country’s industrial might and ability to quickly convert technology into engineered products. India’s current strategic planning and defence acquisition suffer a lack of processes to map requirements and incorporate a realistic estimation of technology and engineering capabilities while developing a roadmap.

title of this 2013 book by Stephen Cohen and Sunil Dasgupta sums up the conundrum of India’s defence development