Combined Commanders’ Conference 2025 charts roadmap for future-ready armed forces
Kolkata. The armed forces concluded the three-day Combined Commanders’ Conference (CCC) 2025 in Kolkata on September 17, setting out a roadmap to strengthen jointness, accelerate reforms and enhance technological self-reliance in defence. The apex-level forum, held from September 15 to 17, brought together the top military leadership and senior officials from the Ministry of Defence under the theme ‘Year of Reforms – Transforming for the Future’.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed the gathering, commending the armed forces for their dedication in safeguarding national security. Both leaders underlined the need for continuous reforms, greater integration among the three Services, and the push for Aatmanirbharta in defence technology and manufacturing. Modi urged the military to focus on jointness, self-reliance and innovation as the pillars of future readiness.
The conference featured live demonstrations, including an air defence drill highlighting advances in missile defence, counter-drone systems and surveillance. Discussions spanned the evolving nature of warfare, multi-domain operations, information warfare and the impact of geopolitical turbulence on India’s security. A highlight was the release of the Joint Military Space Doctrine, marking space as a key pillar of national security strategy.
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan reviewed reforms carried out over the past two years and outlined the next steps, while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh pressed the military to prepare for unconventional challenges such as information, ecological, ideological and biological warfare. He stressed the importance of foresight, agility and resilience in defence planning.
Sessions also examined procurement reforms, delegation of financial powers, and welfare measures, including a review of the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme. The forum discussed ways to streamline acquisition processes and promote greater transparency while ensuring the armed forces have access to state-of-the-art equipment.
The final day focused on institutionalising reforms across domains such as cyber, space, information and special operations, with an emphasis on interoperability and technology-driven doctrine. Concluding the conference, General Chauhan called for reforms to be treated as an ongoing process to keep the armed forces agile, self-reliant and capable of addressing multi-domain threats in an increasingly complex global order.
Officials described CCC 2025 as a major step in transforming India’s military into a more integrated, technologically advanced and operationally agile force, committed not only to safeguarding national interests but also to contributing to global peace and stability.
