15 Army training establishments evolving as ‘Centres of Expertise’ for adopting 33 niche technologies

With recent conflicts having established that technology will play a decisive role in the outcome of all future conflicts, 15 major Army training establishments are evolving as ‘Centres of Expertise’ for adopting 33 niche technologies.

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A comprehensive plan has been developed to adopt all these technologies by 2030, with a planned investment of Rs 390 crore in research and development, infrastructure development and training over the next five years, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Army Training Command (ARTRAC), Lt Gen Devindra Sharma, said at an investiture ceremony on Thursday.

Highlighting recent initiatives by ARTRAC and the lines of effort towards the Army’s roadmap for 'Decade of Transformation' and 'Year of Technology Absorption', he said that ARTRAC has undertaken 57 initiatives in the domains of jointness and integration, force re-structuring, technology absorption and modernisation, systems, processes and functions and human resources management.

This, he said, would require ‘whole of nation’ approach, wherein niche technology available with the industry and premium academic institutions of the country will be absorbed by the Indian Army through collaboration.

Therefore, the vision of ARTRAC is to adopt, develop and imbibe niche technology in training curriculum to facilitate learning and exploit technology for exponential results during operations.

Impetus on technology absorption has resulted in ARTRAC training approximately 18,000 personnel on 22 niche technologies in the year 2024-25 with a plan of training another 12,000 personnel on 21 niche technologies in the 2025-26, he said.

Lt Gen Sharma also presented the GOC-in-C Army Training Command Unit Citation to three Category-A establishments – Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE), Mhow; Combat Army Aviation Training School (CAATS), Nasik; and Army Airborne Training School (AATS), Agra — and to two affiliated units – 4 Mahar and Territorial Army’s 118 Infantry Battalion (Grenadiers) — for their outstanding performance.

Financial excellence awards were also conferred upon the Military College of Material Management (MCMM), Jabalpur, Counter Insurgency Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS), Variengate and Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering (MCEME), Secunderabad, for setting high standards in financial management.

Additionally, two training establishments, Armoured Corps Centre and School (ACC&S), Ahilyanagar and MCMM, Jabalpur, were awarded the e-office excellence awards for promoting e-office software usage which reduces the usage of paper.  Twelve personnel were also felicitated for their performance.