NEW DELHI, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- Indian Defense Minister Shri AK Antony is calling for enhanced management and modernization of the country's defense inventory.
Speaking at the National Seminar on Defense Standardization, Antony urged India's research and development agencies, production agencies, quality assurance agencies and the user agencies to come together and develop a scientific standardization and management of the country's defense inventory, the India Ministry of Defense reported.
"Given the size of our defense infrastructure, not only in terms of the number of personnel in uniform but also in terms of the sheer number of the variety of equipment being used, standardization provides the only answer to rationalize and effect reductions in the number of items being procured, stocked, maintained, transported and used, without degrading the operational effectiveness of our armed forces," Antony said in a statement.
India's Directorate of Standardization was established in 1965 in a government initiative to standardize defense stores for greater logistics management. Antony says standardization is the only way to properly promote better understanding of India's armed forces' requirements as the country faces globalization along with evolving security threats.
"As we increasingly globalize and cooperate across international borders on the development, production and procurement of defense stores and items with many countries, as the number of entities involved in defense material production and management grows rapidly … it becomes all the more important to intensify our standardization and codification efforts if we are to avoid getting trapped in a logistics nightmare," Antony said.
