Defense technology council

Defense technology council

Subject: Polity

Section: National Body

Context:

• Expert committee headed by Vijay Raghavan (former principal scientific advisor) recommended that an apex body known as Defence Technology Council chaired by the Prime Minister should   determine the country’s defense technology roadmap.

More on news:

• The nine-member Vijay Raghavan panel was set up by the government last year to review the functioning of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• The government’s decision to review the functioning of DRDO comes against the backdrop of several of its projects suffering from huge delays.
• The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence had expressed concerns that 23 of its 55 mission mode projects could not be completed in time.
• VijayRaghavan committee has observed that the DRDO should focus on its original goal of research and development for defense.
• DRDO should refrain from involving itself in productization, production cycles, and product management, tasks that are more suitable for the private sector.

About Defence Technology Council:

• The Defence Technology Council headed by the Prime Minister would play a pivotal role in identifying the right players for specific defense technologies.
• The defence minister and the National Security Advisor will act as Vice Presidents.
• It will   determine the country’s defense technology roadmap and decide on major projects and their execution.
• The Defence Technology Council is proposed to have an executive committee to be chaired by the Chief of Defence Staff.
• The Principal Scientific Advisor, along with the three service chiefs and their vice chiefs will also be its members.

The Department of Defence Science, Technology, and Innovation:

• The panel suggested creating a separate department under the Defence Ministry — the Department of Defence Science, Technology, and Innovation. 
• This department is proposed to be headed by a technocrat.
• It will promote defense research and development in the academic and start-up ecosystem.
• It will also serve as the secretariat for the Defence Tech Council.
• This department will draw scientists from DRDO and academia, building a repository of knowledge on production expertise and conducting background research for the DTC.
• The department will operate labs for testing and certification, a function also performed by DRDO.

Mission mode project:

A Mission Mode project of the DRDO refers to a focused and time-bound development undertaken to achieve specific goals and objectives in the field of defense and technology.