The Indian Military: Transformation in Progress

By Ninad D Sheth

Mhow. The Indian Armed Forces today stand at an inflection point, caught between the legacy of colonial-era structures and the imperatives of modern multi-domain warfare. With a combined strength exceeding 1.4 million active personnel across the Army, Navy, and Air Force, India maintains the world’s second-largest military force. Yet size alone cannot guarantee success in contemporary conflicts where, as Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit noted, “the side that sees first, sees farthest and sees most accurately, prevails”.

The transformation underway is both structural and doctrinal. Theatre commands are being established to integrate operations across services, while new institutions like the Army Research Cell ‘Agnishodh’ at IIT Madras focus on emerging technologies including quantum computing and artificial intelligence. The military’s 2025 “Year of Reforms” designation reflects this urgency, with CDS’s five pillars of transformation encompassing jointness, force restructuring, modernisation, and systems integration.

Central to this evolution is the concept of Atmanirbharta in defence—self-reliance that extends beyond hardware to encompass ideas and operational concepts. As General Chauhan emphasised: “India needs to be Sashakt, Surakshit, Aatmanirbhar and Viksit. This can only be achieved when all stakeholders participate collectively in the process of building future ready forces”.

Ran Samwad: Where Strategy Meets Reality

Unlike traditional defence conferences dominated by retired officials and academics, Ran Samwad places serving officers at the centre of strategic discourse. “All participants are the actual practitioners of war, people whose primary job is to fight and defend the country,” explains the concept behind this unique format. The seminar’s rotational hosting—beginning with the Army, then passing to the Navy and Air Force in subsequent years—embodies the jointness that modern warfare demands.

The timing of Ran Samwad, just three months after Operation Sindoor, provided a crucial real-world context for discussions. As General Chauhan revealed: “Operation Sindoor was a modern conflict from which we learned a number of lessons, and most of them are under implementation, some have been implemented. The operation is still on”. This candid acknowledgment underscores how contemporary operations inform future doctrine.

Lt Gen Vipul Shinghal, Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, outlined the seminar’s dual focus: “Emerging Technologies and Impact on Future Warfare” and “Reforms in Institutionalised Training to Catalyse Technological Enablement”. These themes reflect the military’s recognition that technological superiority requires parallel evolution in training, tactics, and organisational culture.

Voices from the Frontlines: Leadership Perspectives

The seminar featured compelling insights from India’s top military leadership, each offering distinct perspectives on the transformation ahead.

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan provided the philosophical framework, drawing from India’s ancient strategic traditions while addressing contemporary challenges. “We know that a combination of military strategy and warriors is essential to win, and the foremost and best example of this are the Mahabharata and the Gita. We are aware that Arjuna was the greatest warrior, yet he needed a Krishna to guide him towards victory”. His emphasis on India’s peaceful intentions coupled with military preparedness was equally striking: “India has always stood on the side of peace. We are a peace-loving nation, but don’t get mistaken, we cannot be pacifists. I think peace without power is utopian”.

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, articulated the operational imperatives driving integration: “In an era where speed of decision is itself a weapon, we must think, train and fight as one force. From contested borders to cyber battlegrounds, India’s security environment is multi-dimensional and dynamic. This makes jointness no longer optional; it is mission-critical”. His analysis of modern warfare’s non-linear character resonated throughout the proceedings: “When weapons can strike targets hundreds of kilometres away with pinpoint accuracy, the traditional concepts of front, rear and flanks, combat zones, and depth areas—all become irrelevant”.

The event symbolised the institutional commitment to joint operations that Operation Sindoor had demonstrated.

Lt Gen Devendra Sharma, GOC-in-C ARTRAC, emphasised the experiential learning aspect: “Army, Navy and IAF officers will share their thoughts on recent conflicts, emerging technologies, niche and disruptive warfighting technologies, the Operation Sindoor experience, integration of space and warfighting, and training for operations”. This practitioner-led approach distinguished Ran Samwad from academic conferences.

Technology’s Double-Edged Sword

The seminar’s central theme—technology’s impact on warfare—generated nuanced discussions about both opportunities and vulnerabilities. General Chauhan highlighted the critical importance of data fusion: “Colossal amounts of data will be needed to be analysed for information in real-time response. Use of artificial intelligence, advanced computation, data analytics, big data, LLM, and quantum technologies will be essential”. The integration challenge extends across domains, requiring what he termed “multi-domain ISR, integration of ground, air, maritime, undersea, space, sensors, all becoming a key necessity”.

The military’s embrace of emerging technologies is evident in initiatives ranging from drone swarms to the ambitious ‘Sudarshan Chakra’ air defence system—India’s answer to Israel’s Iron Dome. As General Chauhan explained: “I think the aim is to develop a system to protect India’s strategic, civilian and nationally important sites, and it will act both as a shield as well as a sword”. The system will integrate detection, acquisition, and neutralisation capabilities across kinetic and directed-energy weapons.

Yet technology alone cannot determine outcomes. The CDS emphasised that contemporary warfare requires new metrics of victory: “In today’s warfare, probably the new matrices of warfare or victory are the speed and tempo of operations, effects of long-range precision strikes, display of sophistication in all domains and superior narrative”. This recognition that information warfare and narrative building have become integral to military success represents a significant evolution in Indian strategic thinking.