Amid delays and overpromises, CDS Chauhan warns defence firms: ‘Be truthful, be competitive’
At an event in Delhi, Gen Anil Chauhan said the armed forces expected “nationalism and patriotism” to guide private-sector ambitions, not just profits
- Nov 15, 2025,
- Updated Nov 15, 2025 12:19 PM IST
India’s defence industry came under pointed scrutiny on Friday as Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan issued a blunt call for accountability, warning that repeated delays, over-promising and inflated claims were eroding military preparedness.
At an event in Delhi, Gen Chauhan said the armed forces expected “nationalism and patriotism” to guide private-sector ambitions, not just profits.
“Our expectation from the industry. We expect a bit of nationalism and patriotism in your profit-driven endeavours,” he said.
He revealed that the Army had flagged repeated lapses during scouting for fifth and sixth Equipment Procurement (EP) cycles.
“Most of the people have overpromised things and they failed to deliver in their time frame. Now this is unacceptable,” he said.
‘Defence reforms are not a one-way street’
Calling for honesty in capability claims, Gen Chauhan stressed that companies must stop masking gaps in indigenous technology.
“Industry will have to be truthful about its capabilities to us. You can't leave us in a lurch. If you sign a contract and you don't deliver at that particular time, it's a capability that is being lost,” he said.
Pointing to rising concerns about security vulnerabilities, he criticised firms that misrepresent the level of indigenous content.
“A lot of industries say that, okay, this is 70% Indian. But actually, when you find out it is not. So you have to be truthful about this, because it is related to the matter of security,” he added.
‘You must be globally competitive, not overpriced’
Gen Chauhan also said that Make-in-India defence manufacturing would only succeed if the private sector matched global market standards.
“You'll have to be cost-competitive. Cost-competitive is not for selling to the Indian armed forces; you have to be cost-competitive so that you can sell in the international market. You can't have products which are overpriced,” he cautioned.
India’s defence industry came under pointed scrutiny on Friday as Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan issued a blunt call for accountability, warning that repeated delays, over-promising and inflated claims were eroding military preparedness.
At an event in Delhi, Gen Chauhan said the armed forces expected “nationalism and patriotism” to guide private-sector ambitions, not just profits.
“Our expectation from the industry. We expect a bit of nationalism and patriotism in your profit-driven endeavours,” he said.
He revealed that the Army had flagged repeated lapses during scouting for fifth and sixth Equipment Procurement (EP) cycles.
“Most of the people have overpromised things and they failed to deliver in their time frame. Now this is unacceptable,” he said.
‘Defence reforms are not a one-way street’
Calling for honesty in capability claims, Gen Chauhan stressed that companies must stop masking gaps in indigenous technology.
“Industry will have to be truthful about its capabilities to us. You can't leave us in a lurch. If you sign a contract and you don't deliver at that particular time, it's a capability that is being lost,” he said.
Pointing to rising concerns about security vulnerabilities, he criticised firms that misrepresent the level of indigenous content.
“A lot of industries say that, okay, this is 70% Indian. But actually, when you find out it is not. So you have to be truthful about this, because it is related to the matter of security,” he added.
‘You must be globally competitive, not overpriced’
Gen Chauhan also said that Make-in-India defence manufacturing would only succeed if the private sector matched global market standards.
“You'll have to be cost-competitive. Cost-competitive is not for selling to the Indian armed forces; you have to be cost-competitive so that you can sell in the international market. You can't have products which are overpriced,” he cautioned.