RoyG wrote:The issue isn't 'a bureaucracy', it's the 'nature of the bureaucracy'
The nature in India's case is both collusive and subversive to productivity and innovation.
I am generally averse to painting with broad brushes. I will accept that "parts of bureaucracy" are that. Because clearly DRDO, ADA, HAL, Mazagon Docks, etc are also run by the same bureaucracy. The ongoing creations public-private partnerships are also a result of the same.
Many like to point to why it was not done earlier. IMHO, capability building and capacity building take time. Private sector had some capabilities but not adequate. Even today, it relies on importing the capability we seek. That said, it is more agile in that acquisition (but likely also more costly but timely).
Private sector's profit seeking objective also implies that it will prioritize that over genuine capability building. It will do that if its profit maximization is increased for doing that. Follow that chain of logic and we will end up in the same MIC scenario that US is trapped in. That has repercussions in other spheres of governance. So, cautiously approaching the public-private to find the right balance is worth it.
We are likely seeking the same -- but we disagree on the speed. I would rather that the country come up on side of caution and short where public is more than private (thus slower) than you are wanting. Which is fine for a disagreement of opinion, since neither of us are actually responsible for the decision.
RoyG wrote:We tend to have this repeating pattern in most, not all, critical projects - after decades of performing a root cause analysis of failed or delayed projects, we tend to bullshit ourselves as to what the problem is.
History of military projects the world over will likely yield no single ambitious project that has come in on time, performed to expectations, and came at cost. JSF is prime example!
RoyG wrote:It has turned many BRFites including mods into bullshit artists.
This is a discussion forum. Individuals have diverse opinions, passions and affinities. We are discussing ideas and issues.
I do not believe it to be appropriate to judge the people -- especially those who dedicate their time and energy to enable the rest of us to air our opinions (often times not well thought out).
RoyG wrote:Notice how you actually said absolutely nothing in your above post. You have threads on BRF spanning over a decade with the same excuses and nobody can figure out what exactly the problem is. My post isn't intended to be insulting but meant to shift the focus to the disease and not the symptoms.
And yet you somehow managed to do just that
RoyG wrote:As for your last point, we were gifted with a family too which has also in many ways contributed to the country we are so proud of. Perhaps, like in 2014 it's time for a rethink as to whether the bureaucracy itself in its current form can deliver to the armed forces and country.
It takes nothing away from anyone because we acknowledge someone has contributed to the growth of the country.