India, March 6 -- For decades, the civil and military components of India's strategic policy have operated in silos. Whether due to bureaucratic inertia, a fear that society may become unduly militarised, a lack of political will, or a recalcitrance in this sphere towards innovation, India has been unable to develop a comprehensive defence ecosystem and transfer civilian innovation to defence applications. However, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has, counterintuitively, moved in the opposite direction over the past 40 years - not just blurring these water-tight compartments but also institutionalising civilian innovation and industry capacity at scale to generate strategic military advantage.

Given the nature of direct competition ...