Defence Modernisation in India: Need & Recent Reforms

The Ministry of Defence (MoD), under the leadership of Defence Minister, has announced 2025 as the ‘Year of Reforms’ to drive modernisation and transformation of India’s Armed Forces. The initiative aims to strengthen India’s defence preparedness, ensuring national security amidst the evolving challenges of the 21st century.

India Declares 2025 as ‘Year of Reforms’: Objectives

Bolstering Jointness and Integration: Establish Integrated Theatre Commands (ITCs) to achieve operational efficiency and promote inter-service cooperation through joint operational training.
Adopting Emerging Technologies: Focus on cyber, space, AI, ML, hypersonic, and robotics while developing tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) for modern warfare.
Simplifying Acquisition Processes: Streamline defence procurement procedures for swift capability enhancement and strengthen technology transfer with public-private partnerships.
Optimising Collaboration: Foster stakeholder collaboration by breaking silos, improving civil-military coordination, and positioning India as a global defence exporter through R&D partnerships.
Strengthening Welfare and Cultural Pride: Enhance welfare measures for veterans while leveraging their expertise and instilling pride in Indian culture by integrating Indigenous capabilities with global best practices.

Defence Modernisation & Its Need

Enhancing Combat Capabilities: Equip the armed forces with cutting-edge technology and advanced weaponry to strengthen combat readiness and maintain a technological edge.
Improving Operational Efficiency: Streamline defence processes for swift, effective responses to emerging security threats, ensuring timely and coordinated actions.
Integration and Joint Operations: Foster seamless coordination and synergy between the Army, Navy, and Air Force, optimizing joint operational effectiveness for rapid response in complex scenarios.
Emergence of Hybrid Warfare: Address new-age threats like information warfare, cyber-attacks, electronic warfare, and weaponised space through advanced defence equipment and capabilities.

Strategic Reform Priorities for 2025

Integrated Theatre Commands (ITCs): Restructure command structures for enhanced jointness and integration, with a focus on resolving inter-service disagreements to achieve ITC implementation by 2025, a priority after delays post-2019 and the demise of CDS Gen Bipin Rawat.
Defence Technology and Acquisition: Strengthen the private sector’s role by promoting defence startups, enhancing indigenisation, encouraging export-oriented production, and implementing the K Vijay Raghavan Committee’s DRDO reforms, which include private sector inclusion despite resistance.
Emerging Technologies and Domains: Focus on cyber, space, AI, ML, hypersonic, and robotics, and develop tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) to prepare the Armed Forces for future warfare across these domains.
Acquisition Reforms: Simplify acquisition procedures for quicker capability development and facilitate technology transfer through public-private partnerships, while improving ease of doing business in the defence sector.
Collaboration and Export Focus: Break silos to improve civil-military coordination, foster R&D partnerships with foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), and position India as a global defence exporter.
Veterans’ Welfare and Cultural Pride: Optimise veterans’ welfare measures, leverage their expertise for defence advancements, and instil pride in Indian culture by integrating indigenous capabilities with global best practices suited to national needs.
Budget Allocation and Financial Support: Advocate for increased defence spending beyond ~2% of GDP to support modernisation and technological advancements, with a focus on securing higher budget allocations in the 2025-26 fiscal year.

Recent Key Reforms in Defence Modernisation

Acquisition of Advanced Weaponry

Rafale Jets: Acquisition of 36 Rafale jets to enhance air superiority, with a deal for 26 more INS Vikrant.
S-400 Air Defence System: Strengthening air defence with 5 S-400 missile squadrons from Russia, capable of intercepting aerial targets up to 400 km away.
Arjun Mk-1A Tanks: Indigenous upgrades to the Arjun main battle tank, improving lethality, mobility, and survivability, with ongoing development of an indigenous engine.

Indigenous Development

LCA Tejas: Induction of the Tejas fighter aircraft, replacing MiG-21, with enhanced capabilities, including multi-role functionality and air-to-air refuelling.
INS Arihant: Commissioning of India’s first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, strengthening underwater deterrence.

Technological Advancements

Network-Centric Warfare: Enhanced joint operations through initiatives like Project Sanjay and E-Sitrep, improving situational awareness and coordination across forces.
AI & Robotics: Integration of AI for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), and autonomous weapon systems (LAWS), enhancing overall defence capabilities.
Cyber Warfare: Strengthening cyber defence infrastructure with the National Cyber Security Policy and CERT-In, focusing on cyber threat mitigation and data protection.

Defense Production & Export

Atmanirbhar Bharat: Record domestic defence production of Rs 1.27 lakh crore in 2023-24, with a focus on indigenisation and reducing imports.
Defence Exports: Record growth in defence exports, reaching USD 2.63 billion in 2023-24, with a growing market in Vietnam, the Philippines, and other countries for products like BrahMos and Tejas.

Strategic Roads and Rail Networks

Key initiatives: Initiatives such as the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS) and Border Infrastructure and Management (BIM) Scheme are focused on ensuring rapid troop mobilisation and effective border management, strengthening national security.

Way Forward for Enhancing India’s Defence Modernisation

Streamline Procurement: Simplify defence procurement processes for faster decision-making and introduce AI-driven systems for greater transparency.
Increase Budget Allocation: Allocate a larger share of the defence budget to modernisation, prioritizing critical platforms like the LCA Tejas Mark II and S-400 systems.
Strengthen Indigenous Manufacturing: Integrate Make in India and PLI schemes to boost domestic defence production and reduce import reliance.
Expand Global Partnerships: Foster technology transfer and co-development partnerships with advanced nations for critical defence technologies.
Enhance Cyber and Space Defence: Develop specialised cyber defence and space command units to protect against emerging threats.
Modernise the Navy: Focus on modernising India’s naval capabilities to secure the Indo-Pacific region, including platforms like INS Vikrant and Project 75(I) submarines.
Boost Defence Exports: Streamline export processes and focus on globally competitive defence systems like BrahMos to reach India’s ₹35,000 crore export target by 2025.
Reference: Indian Express | Business Standard

UPSC Mains PYQs – Theme – Defence Reforms

How is the S-400 air defence system technically superior to any other system presently available in the world? (2021)
Foreign direct investment in the defence sector is now said to be liberalised. What influence this is expected to have on Indian defence and economy in the short and long run? (2014)

PMF IAS Pathfinder for Mains – Question 36

Q. Examine the need and role of defence reforms in addressing hybrid warfare threats in India’s 2025 defence strategy. How can technological advancements counter these emerging threats? (250 Words) (15 Marks)

Approach

Introduction: Write a brief introduction about the rise of hybrid warfare and the Defence Ministry’s ‘Year of Reforms,’ aimed at reforming and modernizing the defence sector.
Body: In the body, discuss briefly the need for defence reforms and the role of these reforms in addressing the hybrid warfare threat.
Conclusion: Write a way forward and conclude by highlighting the importance of these reforms.