No proposal to have 20-yr cooling-off period for retiring military officials on publishing book, likely to close Rafale deal in '4-6 months': Rajnath

NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday denied that any proposal was in the works to impose a mandatory 20-year cooling-off period for senior military officers before they can publish memoirs or books after retirement.

The minister also said that the govt will be making all efforts to seal the Rafale deal with France within the next 4-6 months.During an interaction with journalists, the minister rubbished media speculation about a cooling-off period proposal. “No such proposal came up for discussion before the Cabinet”. His statement is significant in the wake of the controversy that recently erupted over former Army chief Gen MM Naravane's unpublished book ‘Four Stars of Destiny’ on the Ladakh standoff with China, and led to a war of words between Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and BJP MPs in Lok Sabha.Currently, certain rules and regulations restrict senior military officials from revealing classified information even after retirement. Such disclosure is subject to regulations under the Official Secrets Act, with prior govt clearance necessary for the purpose.On his recent meeting with his French counterpart Catherine Vautrin in Bengaluru over the proposed Rafale deal, Rajnath, in a lighter vein, said, “I want the deal tomorrow itself.

In fact, my IAF chief also wants it early.” But, he said, “the deal will take some time. We will try to close the deal in 4 or 6 months, including the clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).” Defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, accompanying the minister, said the final cost negotiations with France for the 114 Rafale jets “are still going on and will take time”.To a TOI query over whether the defence ministry has shown any interest in Russia’s offer to sell stealth fifth-generation fighter jet Su-57 to India, the minister said, “Can’t say anything now.

Let’s see.”The minister also revealed that the aero engine programme for IAF's Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme is progressing rapidly.India is co-developing a new 120-140 kN thrust jet engine with France's Safran to power the AMCA Mark-2. This high-thrust engine, designed with 100% technology transfer, will enable superior stealth and supercruise capabilities for India's fifth-generation fighter. The early AMCA prototypes will use American GE F414 engines.