India`s current defence imperatives transcend the ideological 'defence vs. butter' debate. Even while there may be no profound existential concerns, the geo-political reality of a deeply troubled neighbourhood, long legacy of border disputes with neighbours in the north and west and a widening spectrum of potential warfare from conventional and strategic to the asymmetric can be ignored at our own peril. Given the current capability gaps and infrastructure inadequacies, India requires a far more focussed pursuit of the objective of comprehensive national power with an optimal blend of fully deterrent state-of-the-art and readily deployable capabilities potentially on more than one front. Likely out-of-area contingencies and our legitimate aspirations as an emerging regional and world power further fuel this need.