Greater Noida (Defence Desk), December 07: Recently, two armament training instructors of the Indian Army from the Military College of Material Management, Jabalpur, participated in the informal regional meeting on the Global Framework for Through Life-Conventional Ammunition Management Asia-Pacific, held in Kathmandu, Nepal.
The meet that was held on December 4 and 5, 2024, had two women officers representing India.
The duo, from India’s side, discussed issues related to implementation of the global framework, through life sustainability, safety and security of conventional ammunition, training and capacity building.
India has long been advocating for ammunition management and by the soul of it this country has been had an approach of non-violence. But in today’s world of modern warfare where the ongoing military instability is also something that cannot be overlooked, is India’s approach towards ammunition management appreciable?
Largely, ammunition management is important for a number of reasons.
Not just it can impact the outcome of armed conflicts, for example, in an ongoing conflict like that of Ukraine’s, maintaining appropriate stockpiles is important for sustaining engagements, but also a poorly-controlled ammunition can impede sustainable development and lead to negative impact on humanitarian assistance.
If we talk about global initiatives related to ammunition management, the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management, an international instrument adopted in 2023 by United Nations come straight to our thoughts. This contains 15 objectives and 85 measures to promote the safety, security, and sustainability of ammunition management.
Other than this, there is Ammunition Management Advisory Team (AMAT), a joint initiative of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD). AMAT provides technical assistance to states and partners and promotes the use of the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG) at the same time supporting states in managing ammunition.
In addition to these there is Ammunition Management Activity Platform (A-MAP) and UNIDIR.
While A-MAP was developed by AMAT to share knowledge and information about ammunition management and provide a one-stop source for states, donors, and implementers, UNIDIRsupports efforts to strengthen weapons and ammunition management (WAM) frameworks, policies, and practices.
UNIDIR also facilitates international dialogues and provides country insights based on baseline assessment reports.
Even as majority would argue that given the current ongoing conflicts among the western world, in context of India, such management of ammunition might be crucial, should India too prioritize such efforts.
To begin with, ammunition management in India is already a critical component of the country’s defines preparedness.
The Director General Ordnance Services (DGOS) at the Army Headquarters is the department responsible for the procurement and provisioning of ammunition for the Indian Army.
Most of the ammunition is procured from the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), which has countrywide ten factories that produce ammunition and explosives to be sued by India for its defence.
Other than production, India is also amply working to increase its domestic ammunition manufacturing to reduce its reliance on imports and to meet the country’s security needs.
In fact, the Ministry of Defence has introduced the 5th Positive Indigenisation list to stop the import of all ammunition by 2025. This also is in line with India’s ambitious project of attaining self reliance – Atma Nirbharta.
And as one step that inches India closer to its dream of self-sufficiency in ammunition production, is that India has long started exporting ammunition to countries such as the UAE, Vietnam, and to some other undisclosed countries.
In fact India has also been appreciative towards private players to jump into the race for modernisation and research and development for its defence establishments. AMMO India 2024 is one such platform for stakeholders to discuss the need for ammunition manufacturing, opportunities for the industry, and the potential for foreign collaboration. A number of private players have already entered the race for production of high quality and advanced equipment for the Indian defence forces.
Other than production and manufacturing and exporting, India has effecianelty made its mark globally when it comes to weapons and ammunition management which largely involves the oversight, accountability, and governance of ammunition throughout its life cycle, from production to destruction.
As worldwide phenomenon, ammunition management is also important because it helps prevent the misuse of ammunition, and the diversion of weapons and ammunition into illicit markets.
It also helps to mitigate the risk of unplanned explosions, and to ensure that the right ammunition is available at the right time.
Not only it prevents diversion of poorly managed ammunition stockpiles into illicit markets but also becomes an essential tool for implementing a national defines and security policy.
While in the recent meet held at Kathmandu, India could be seen at the forefront of ammunition management program, other major players around the world must also acknowledge that ammunition management can help to promote safer cities and communities, and support sustainable peace.
In today’s modern warfare world an effective ammunition management policy can significantly impact the outcome of armed conflicts through its components like procurement, storage, distribution, and utilization of ammunition.
The world needs to realise that the ammunition management also involves the oversight, accountability, and governance of ammunition throughout its life cycle.
