Dissecting Bharat Shakti: Why the desert war-game is a strategic leap for India

Boom! On Tuesday morning, under the hot desert sun, Exercise Bharat Shakti began with a sonic boom that startled onlookers seated at the grand podium in the Charlie Sector range in Pokhran (Pokran as locals call it).

A home-made Tejas LCA fighter aircraft breaking the sound barrier could well have been a metaphor for India’s arrival at the vortex interplay of strategic positioning by the global powers—each seeking to further influence or retain the vestiges of a power-packed legacy of military dominance.

With Bharat Shakti, India has decided to play its part decisively, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in attendance. The other notable attendees were Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the three service chiefs, military delegates from about 40 countries, and the top brass of India’s military.

Pokhran, in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district, is a very dry and extensive geography. Miles and miles of sand dotted with sparse desert vegetation as far as the eye can see. Famous as the site of the nuclear tests of 1974 and 1998, Jaisalmer is surrounded by Pakistan from three sides.

From Pokhran, the nearest Indo-Pak border is just 150km straight as the crow flies. That is why flexing the military muscle at Pokhran is a statement that is meant to be noticed globally.

Pokhran has four military test and training ranges—in sectors Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta. Bharat Shakti was conducted in the Charlie sector. The core test area that bore all the heavy bombardment by the artillery, field guns, fighter aircraft, helicopters and other weaponry of the armed services was an area about 10km in length and 5km in breadth.

In a recent briefing in the defence ministry in Delhi’s South Block, when asked if ‘Bharat Shakti’ would be a regular annual affair from now on, a top-ranking Army official said it has not been so decided yet. It raises the question if it is a one-off event meant to underline strategic posturing.

First, with the doctrine of jointness and integration of the Army, Navy and the IAF becoming a declared policy, it is one thing to talk about it and another to walk the talk. ‘Bharat Shakti’ walks the talk. After all, one has to implement strategies to make them effective. In more clear terms, the exercise is an attempt by the three forces to work out a military manual of combined operations.

Second, India is increasingly developing military alliances with European powers like France and Germany. The increasing number of joint exercises and exchanges with these two European powers is indicative that they view India as a credible military power that can be leveraged by Europe to make its presence felt in the Indo-Pacific which is becoming the new battleground for the world powers.

Third, Europe, chiefly France and Germany, are increasingly concerned about the US government policy which is at best becoming uncertain, poised as it is with a possible regime change led by the inimitable Donald Trump. As a result, the two powers are keen to assert themselves and be sure of a greater role after having been reduced to second-grade powers in the US-led NATO grouping. And in this, India with its increasing military, economic and strategic heft fits very well into their strategies.

Meanwhile, India will be able to maximize its advantages only when it demonstrates a credible military muscle. Bharat Shakti should be seen in that perspective.

An interesting element in the Pokhran war-game was the inclusion of the naval element that was telecast on screen. It aimed at projecting India’s rise as a capable maritime power. What is significant is that the exercise closely follows the huge naval exercise 'Milan' that concluded just 15 days ago in Vishakapatnam. 'Milan' saw the participation of about 50 countries.

A highlight of the 'Milan' exercise was the simultaneous operation by the two aircraft carriers—Vikrant and Vikramaditya—sailing side by side on the Indian seaboard. There cannot be a bigger statement to depict naval capability even as India wants to project itself as a power in its own backyard in the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal.

Fourth, India is also just about to hold its Parliamentary elections. Projection of military strength and muscle flexing to achieve political and electoral dividends has its own limitations, yet its importance cannot be discounted.

Naturally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech included political elements. He pointed out that Indian defence exports had increased eight-fold compared to 2014. The year 2014 was when the BJP and its allies swept to power ousting the Congress-led UPA government. PM Modi also spoke about the multiplicity of defence scams, scarcity of ammunition and deterioration of ordnance factories before 2014.

Fifth, the recent moves made by China could be one of the prompters to hold such an exercise. A military presence in Sri Lanka’s Hambantota, growing influence in Myanmar’s southern seaboard and dominating sway in the strategically-located Maldives islands effectively further China’s String of Pearls’ strategic initiative.

Sixth, an interesting feature of Bharat Shakti is that it was conducted only with homemade weapon systems, platforms, and technologies. It was a signal that India can produce on its own. And effective platforms too.

But then of course, the crash of a Tejas LCA fighter aircraft that had taken part in Bharat Shakti on Tuesday morning did mar the ongoing good run of the Indian military-industrial complex. After all, Tejas fighter is the flagship home-made air platform that will rapidly make up for the depletion of fighters in the IAF. Whether the keen interest of many countries to buy India’s Tejas suffers from the first-ever crash of the aircraft remains to be seen.