2025 to be ‘year of reform’, tech and theatre command target set by Rajnath

The Ministry of Defence had decided to have 2025 as the ‘year of reform’ aimed at transforming the Armed Forces into a technologically-advanced, combat-ready force while the forces have been tasked to work towards theatre commands.

A theatre command, is long gestation period plan, that looks to have war fighting assets of the Army, Navy and IAF, in a defined geographical area to be placed under a single commander.

A decision on these was announced on Monday, following a meeting chaired by the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to review the progress of reforms.

The Minister has directed that “reforms should aim to further bolster Jointness and Integration initiatives and facilitate establishment of the Integrated Theatre Commands”.

Further focusing on jointness, the Minister has tasked the services to have a shared understanding of operational requirements and joint operational capabilities through inter-service cooperation and training.

Also, the three armed forces have been tasked to focus on future wars and the tactics and techniques required to win such wars. Reforms would focus on new domains such as cyber and space, and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, hypersonics and robotics.

The Ministry of Defence also looks to simplify the acquisition procedures to make them time-sensitive to facilitate swifter and robust capability development.

The ministry looks to have greater public-private partnerships to facilitate technology transfer and knowledge sharing between the defence sector and private industries.

The MoD said it would also look to position India as a credible exporter of defence products. Last fiscal ending March 31, 2024, the country exported military equipment worth Rs 21,600 crore.

The MoD in a statement quoting Rajnath Singh said the year of reforms will be a momentous step in the modernisation journey of the Armed Forces. It will lay the foundation for unprecedented advancements in the country’s defence preparedness”.