The global defence giants prefer to appoint retired officers to do the job of walking the corridors of power, albeit for a different purpose. Concerned over such dangerous liaison between arms dealers and pensioners who know too much, Defence Minister A K Antony in 2012 told the Rajya Sabha that the government was mulling over increasing the cooling-off period for retired officers from one year to five years.
Most officers join defence manufacturers, only after completing the mandatory cooling-off period of one year as specified under rule 26 of the All India Service Rules. Former air chief S P Tyagi, under scanner of the CBI for his alleged role in the VVIP chopper scam, joined a private firm William Global Advisors (WGA), in 2011. The company offers consultancy to foreign players in aerospace sector. Tatra truck fame Ravi Rishi’s company Vectra also employed senior retired officers as consultants in India. In several of the Indian private companies, retired officers are the most wanted top brass.
MAJOR FOREIGN EMPLOYERS
THALES: Has been operating in India since 1953. It has been involved in several projects, including submarine building, combat plane upgrades and weapon system supplies. It’s also upgrading the IAF’s Mirage-2000 fleet.
HONEYWELL AEROSPACE: The US-based company operates in four main sectors —Aerospace, Automation and Control Solutions, Transportation Systems, and Specialty Materials—in India.
ROSOBORON SERVICES: With a presence in more than 70 countries, Rosoboron is one of the major operators in the world market for arms and military equipment.
NORTHROP GRUMMAN: The US-based firm is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cybersecurity, C4ISR, and logistics and modernisation to government and commercial customers worldwide. In its careers section, the company’s website says: “If you’re a military veteran transitioning into a new career, you’ll feel right at home on our team.”
GLOBAL VECTRA: A subsidiary of Vectra group. The parent company has a presence in India and Eastern Europe, with eight manufacturing facilities in four countries, including India, the UK, Czech Republic and Slovakia.
ROLTA: Headquartered in India, Rolta is a multinational organisation and claims to have executed projects in over 40 countries.
LOCKHEED MARTIN: The US-based global security and aerospace company is engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.
SIKORSKY The US-based aircraft corporation is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of military and commercial helicopters.
SAAB: The Swedish aerospace and defence company joined the Dassault nEUROn, an experimental Unmanned
Combat Air Vehicle, project as a major partner in December 2005.
URAL: A joint venture between Motijug Agencies Ltd of India with Uralaz of Russia is a leading manufacturer of all-wheel drive vehicles. Apart from defence ministry, URAL clients include Ministry of Coal and Ministry of Steel.