Apr 06, 2001 10:45 PM
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Defence deals make and break a war, such deals are not just a question of buying the best materials at the best price but also must consist of a great deal of secrecy and confidentiality.
Take for example if a defence contract has been given to a certain foreign source and a part of the deal is to place fixed gun installations at various areas. Now if information like the fact that the guns can only shoot forward and cannot be turned to shoot in the opposite direction or that they can only aim above a certain height/angle or upto a certain range is known to the enemy simply by bribing a lowly clerk in the defence department, and thus are able to get the make and configuration of the guns, this information can be used to make sure that the attack is made from the rear in the first scenario or that the enemy planes fly below a certain height in the second scenario or when the enemy attacks it first destroys the gun placements from a safe distance in the third scenario. This kind of information is crucial when it comes to defending/attacking a position.
Then there is the numbers game, information like army requirements, equipment with low spare parts, supplies and ammunition etc. again can reveal the soft under belly in a countries' defence shield to the enemy. The results can be devastating in the event of an attack enabling the enemy to know exactly when to attack and in what numbers.
Much has been said about corruption having crept into the defence department and the acceptance of percentages by people at various levels to push the contract through. People have resigned and much has been said about inquires and panels, but no where has it been mentioned about ascertaining how much crucial defence information has been compromised. It is such information which led to the Kargil war, where pakistani's knew exactly when the Indian troops would withdraw from the heights and leave the peaks unprotected for them to move in. If any day Pakistan or any other country does try and mount an attack against India, on that day will we pay dearly for our present day laxity in guarding defence secrets all for a few bundles of paper.
