Why India's defence procurement needs a second track

India's defence procurement system is in need of a fundamental structural rethink, with a growing body of expert opinion now calling for a dedicated second, faster track that can respond to urgent and technology-intensive requirements without the delays that plague the current framework.

The argument, advanced in an India Today analysis, centres on a straightforward problem: India's standard procurement process — designed for thoroughness, transparency, and competition — takes years to conclude, sometimes a decade or more for major platforms. In a rapidly evolving global security environment, where adversaries are acquiring cutting-edge technologies at pace and where conflicts like those in Ukraine are revealing entirely new battlefield requirements, such timelines are increasingly untenable.

A second track, as envisioned, would not replace the existing framework but would run alongside it for specific categories of procurement — particularly emerging technologies like drones, electronic warfare systems, AI-enabled platforms, and cybersecurity tools. These are areas where commercial innovation is moving faster than any traditional defence procurement cycle can track.

India has taken some steps in this direction, including emergency procurement provisions and the push to buy from domestic manufacturers. But critics argue these measures have been insufficient and inconsistently applied. A formally instituted second track with its own rules, timelines, and oversight mechanisms would represent a more structural solution.

As India pursues both Atmanirbhar Bharat in defence and deeper technology partnerships with the US, a reformed procurement system is increasingly seen as foundational — not just for getting equipment to soldiers faster, but for attracting the private sector investment that India's defence ambitions depend on.