Defence Reforms, Including Theatre Commands Creation, To Be Priority In 2025, Defence Ministry Says 

The Ministry of Defence said 2025 will be marked as 'Year of Reforms', and thrust will be given to making the armed forces technologically more advanced and combat-ready.

File photo of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan.

Source : PTI

Defence Reforms: With a challenging geopolitical scenario and threats emerging from China that has taken a quantum leap in defence modernisation, India Wednesday said 2025 will be marked as 'Year of Reforms' for its armed forces and thrust will be given towards establishment of integrated theatre commands to boost jointness and integration among the Army, Navy and Air Force, thereby making them technologically more advanced and combat-ready, capable of multi-domain integrated operations. 

The MoD also said the process of weaponry acquisition will be made smoother and swifter in an effort to create capability development of the armed forces more robust. 

The decisions were taken during a high-level meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday along with MoD secretaries. 

As India tackles rising threats from the China border in the north and Pakistan in the west, the possibility of a two-front war continues to stare at the Indian armed forces, and thus arises the question whether or not India needs to create theatre commands. The primary aim is to create joint commands that integrate the three branches of the armed forces — Army, Navy, and Air Force — into a cohesive structure for better coordination during warfare if such a situation arises. 

Focus To Be On New Domains Such As Cyber, Space, AI, Machine Learning

The Indian government has been considering the establishment of joint theatre commands for several years now, which will seek to optimise the use of resources, improve strategic planning, and ensure rapid decision-making during conflicts. 

According to the sources in the defence ministry, theaterisation is seen as critical for addressing multidimensional threats, including regional conflicts, terrorism, and maritime security, particularly given India's geopolitical situation.

"Reforms should aim to further bolster Jointness & Integration initiatives and facilitate establishment of the Integrated Theatre Commands. Reforms should focus on new domains such as Cyber and Space, and emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Hypersonics and Robotics. Associated Tactics, Techniques and Procedures required to win future wars should also be developed," the MoD said in a press statement Wednesday. 

The defence ministry has planned the reforms with the broader aim to make the defence acquisition procedures simpler and time-sensitive, ensure deeper collaboration among key stakeholders, break silos, eliminate inefficiencies, and optimise the utilisation of resources. 

The reforms would lay the foundation for "unprecedented" advancements in defence preparedness, Singh said. He also said the reforms would ensure India's security and sovereignty amid the challenges of the 21st century.

According to the statement, the government has also decided to transform India into an export hub for defence items. Apart from boosting revenues, this move will also bring foreign arms manufacturers closer to the private defence firms of India, which will facilitate transfer of technology as well as foster research and development. 

Defence exports touched a record Rs 21,083 crore in the financial year 2023-24, a growth of 32.5 per cent over the previous fiscal when it was Rs 15,920 crore. According to the Ministry of Defence, the exports grew by 31 times in the last one decade compared to financial year 2013-14. The private sector and defence PSUs contributed about 60 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively.