Sameer Patil is Fellow, International Security Studies Programme, Gateway House. Prior to this, he was Assistant Director at the National Security Council Secretariat in Prime Minister’s Office, New Delhi, where he handled counter-terrorism and regional security desks. Sameer has written extensively on various aspects of national security including counter-terrorism, cyber security, Kashmir issue, India-Pakistan and India-China relations. He is also a dissertation advisor at the Naval War College, Goa. In 2019, he was a recipient of the Canberra Fellowship, awarded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia. He tweets at @sameerpatilIND. Download high-res picture
Education
M.A. and M.Phil. in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University
Expertise
International security and conflict, cyber-security, defence business, counter-terrorism
The recently signed Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) between India and the U.S. symbolises the strengthened defence and security partnership between the two countries and the growing interoperability capabilities between the two militaries. India-U.S. defence and security ties have flourished in the last decade, with increasing focus on defence technology co-development and co-production. The enhanced G2G engagement is also reflected in the commercial sector where American and Indian defence companies have partnered in the aerospace sector to become part of the global supply chain.
The recent opening of the Atal tunnel represents the border infrastructure build-up underway for the last 10 years. Multiple other road and rail projects are being implemented, which will connect remote areas along the Line of Actual Control and also support the Indian military’s deployment in the region.
Start-ups are the latest entrants in the defence manufacturing sector. They have greater access through the Innovations in Defence Excellence programme. The technologies developed by them will add to the Indian military’s operational and combat capabilities. Beyond the obvious market for the defence forces, there is also the huge homeland security market in India and abroad for the start-ups.
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10 September 2020 Trade Promotion Council of India
The recently imposed import embargo on 101 items in the defence sector indicates that the government has confidence in indigineous defence-industrial capacity to fulfill the requirements of the Indian military, without resorting to imports.
On 18th August, Pakistan announced wide-ranging restrictions on prominent anti-India terrorist leaders. These steps are clearly aimed to prevent Pakistan from slipping into the black list of the Financial Action Task Force, where Pakistan is already grey-listed. Their implementation remains key as in the past, Islamabad's global anti-terrorism commitments have been abandoned once global scrutiny of its support to terrorist infrastructure, decreases or is distracted.
The delivery of five Rafale fighter jets last month is a big boost for Indian military capacity. The government's recent ban on the import of 101 defence items is a major step forward in building domestic defence-industrial capabilities. Partnering with like-minded diplomatic partners and adopting emerging technologies will help India in this endeavour.
The delivery of five Rafale fighter jets this week demonstrates the continued upgrading of India’s military capabilities. A key part of this process has been the building of a domestic defence-industrial base by promoting participation of the private sector. Bringing certainty to defence procurement, monitoring emerging technologies and joining hands with like-minded countries, will play a critical role in taking this forward.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s recent announcement of defence reforms is an appropriate opportunity for India to create a vibrant and profitable defence-industrial base by focusing on the procurement process, capitalising on emerging technologies and partnering with like-minded countries.
India’s has transited innovatively from a cash-based economy to one primarily reliant on digital payment systems. This has brought financial inclusion and transparency, but security threats too, such as data breaches. A look at the major vulnerabilities assailing India’s digital payment systems and ways to plug them
On a week-long October visit to Jammu and Kashmir, the author found both clarity and complexity among the citizens about their new status, and that the practicalities of daily life are more compelling than ideology
