Some reports from the Kargil war front maintained that Indian jawans were at a disadvantage because their Pakistani counterparts had better snow boots, lighter weapons and better night vision equipment. It is a different matter that despite such material advantages, the Pakistanis had to eat humble pie when they faced a more united, disciplined and professional army like India's. While the technological gap between the two forces has to be plugged, what is equally important is to review India's defence preparedness and address its inadequacies. The Arun Singh committee, appointed by V.P. Singh, went into the question of putting in place a system whereby defence resources areoptimally used, eliminating wastage and duplication in the process. Its suggestions must be implemented forthwith. If there is a dichotomy in the perceptions of the armed forces and those manning the defence ministry, it is a pointer to a fundamental divide. The fallout of such a divide can indeed be costly as was borne out by the differences between the defence forces and the ministry, which eventually led to the sacking of former naval chief, Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat. At the root of the problem is the feeling that defence does not get the priority it needs as otherwise the Pakistanis might not have intruded into the Indian territory.

Of course, the BJP-led government has taken some bold steps to accord defence the importance it merits. The constitution of the national security council and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's announcement on Sunday about the induction of Agni-2 should ordinarily have helped remove the armed forces' feeling of neglect. But if such a feeling persists, it only stresses theneed for a holistic approach to strengthening the defence preparedness of the nation through the optimal use of resources, however inadequate it may be. There can be no short cuts in achieving this.