Letter from the Editor

Strategic and defence affairs are invariably headline grabbers, so it isn't surprising that national attention and concern should once again be focussed on armaments, triggered off this time by Pakistan's frantic attempts to buy itself a new, sophisticated arsenal of modern weapons. But perhaps it is the nature of defence issues, that concern for them is frequently not matched by a public understanding of their dimensions.Obviously, where questions of national security are concerned, information tends to be difficult to come by. But more than that, strategy, technology and politics have combined in recent times to evolve and transform defence matters into a discipline that is as complex and erudite as any field of knowledge. Inevitably, then, sophistication and secrecy, tend to keep it in the realm of a few, knowledgeable people and generally out of the public domain.It was to bring it back squarely in the public eye that India Today decided to take a look at the dimensions of the arms race that is now casting a long shadow over South Asia. In an effort spreading over several weeks, Senior Writer Dilip Bobb pored over the available - though scanty - literature and logged several hours of conversation with the experts, many of whom were unwilling to be identified.The result of that investigation is the first part of this fortnight's cover story. Said Bobb: "Defence, in this country, is a vast and complex minefield of jealously-guarded facts and fancies. The information that is easiest to get is inevitably motivated."The second half of the cover story focusses on one of the lesser known aspects of international arms purchases: the defence agents. Some of the best investigative writing abroad has been done into the murky world of the arms trader. Not so in India, where the breed is a relatively new one, and the business it handles is small. But, the recent controversy over the Jaguar focussed on the role of middlemen, and their potential to do business has been dramatically increased by the threatened arms race in the region.Over the past weeks, Correspondent Prabhu Chawla has been painstakingly putting together information on the Indian representatives of foreign military suppliers, starting with such basic data as who represents whom - a tabulation not attempted in the media before. The result is probably the first close look into the defence agency business in this country. Said Chawla: "They are uncharacteristic businessmen. Unlike their counterparts in other spheres, most dealers in military equipment operate in closely guarded secrecy they don't want outsiders to penetrate."Published By: AtMigration Published On: Nov 11, 2013 12:29 IST--- ENDS ---

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Letter from the Editor

Strategic and defence affairs are invariably headline grabbers, so it isn't surprising that national attention and concern should once again be focussed on armaments, triggered off this time by Pakistan's frantic attempts to buy itself a new, sophisticated arsenal of modern weapons.

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