Mains Marathon

• Give a brief overview of the Indian armed forces including the army, navy and Airforce and other central armed forces.
• Discuss various challenges faced by them and what reforms should the Indian Armed Forces implement to ensure they are equipped for future combat with effective offensive and defensive tactics.
• Conclude suitably.

Answer

The Indian Armed Forces comprise the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, the Indian Air Force and other central armed forces such as the Coast Guard, the Assam Rifles and the Special Frontier Force.

The Indian Armed Forces are responsible for safeguarding the sovereignty, territorial integrity and national interests of India. However, they also face several challenges and threats in the changing security environment, such as conventional and sub-conventional warfare, cyber and space warfare, cross-border terrorism, maritime security and disaster management.

Therefore, it is imperative that the Indian Armed Forces implement reforms to ensure they are equipped for future combat with effective offensive and defensive tactics.

The Indian armed forces face challenges such as:

• Lack of funding: The Indian defence budget is relatively small compared to other major powers, and this has limited the armed forces' ability to modernize their equipment and infrastructure.
• Old and outdated equipment: Much of the Indian armed forces' equipment is old and outdated, which makes it difficult to compete with the militaries of other countries.
• Manpower shortages: The Indian armed forces are facing manpower shortages, which is making it difficult to fill all of the necessary positions.
• Insurgency and terrorism: India faces a number of internal security challenges, including insurgency and terrorism. This has put a strain on the armed forces, who are often called upon to respond to these threats.
• Border security: India has a long and porous border, which makes it difficult to secure the country from external threats.
• Working in silos: The Indian armed forces are still relatively siloed, which can make it difficult to coordinate operations across the different services.
• R&D: India's defence R&D sector is not as strong as it could be, which limits the country's ability to develop its own military technologies.
• The rise of China: The growing influence of China in the region is a challenge for India.
• The changing nature of warfare: Warfare is becoming increasingly complex and technologically advanced, and the Indian armed forces need to adapt to these changes.

Some of the reforms that the Indian Armed Forces should implement are:

• Theatre commands: This is a concept of integrating the operational assets and resources of different services under a single commander for a specific geographical area or a functional domain.
  • This would enhance jointness, synergy and interoperability among the services and enable them to conduct integrated operations across different domains such as land, sea, air, space and cyber.
  • The government has appointed India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and created the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) to facilitate the creation of theatre commands in India.
• Tour of duty: This is a concept of allowing civilians to join the army for a short duration of a few years as volunteers both soldiers and officer's rank. This would help in reducing the manpower and pension costs of the army, attracting young and talented professionals to the defence sector, enhancing civil-military relations and creating a large pool of trained reserves for national emergencies.
• Integrated battle groups: This is a concept of reorganising the existing formations of the army into agile, modular and self-contained units that can swiftly mobilise and launch offensive or defensive operations.
  • Each integrated battle group would consist of around 5,000 troops from different arms and services such as infantry, artillery, armour, engineers and signals. The army has already operationalised two integrated battle groups along the western border with Pakistan.
• Defence acquisition procedure: This is a set of rules and guidelines for procuring defence equipment and platforms from domestic or foreign sources.
  • The government has unveiled Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020, which aims to simplify and expedite the acquisition process, promote indigenisation and innovation, boost defence exports and achieve self-reliance in defence production.
• Defence research and development: This is an area of enhancing the scientific and technological capabilities of the defence sector to develop cutting-edge weapons systems and platforms.
  • The government has taken several measures to reform defence research and development, such as increasing budget allocation, encouraging private sector participation, creating innovative ecosystems and fostering strategic partnerships.

Conclusion

The Indian Armed Forces need to reform themselves to be prepared for future combat scenarios with effective offensive and defensive strategies. By implementing these reforms, the Indian Armed Forces can enhance their operational readiness, combat effectiveness, technological edge and strategic autonomy.