An acknowledged authority thus puts the frame of the matter:[4]
[4. The Defence of India, "Arthur Vincent," pp. 93-4.]
The safe figure of a nation's military expenditure...is fixed by considerations almost entirely beyond the country's control; by her geographical and ethnological boundaries, by the power and attitude of her neighbours, by her national resources in men and material, by her racial unity or disunity, and so on...What requires investigation is whether [India's] total budget...is worthy of her immense territories and their prosperity. Were that total to be increased largely, the defence item would remain virtually stationary, and the disproportion would disappear to the point of making India one of the best-placed nations in the world for protective expenditure.