India on Wednesday declared 2025 as the year of defense reforms, with a focus on rolling out integrated theatre commands to boost tri-services synergy and ensure simpler, time-sensitive military procurement. The broader aim is to transform the military into a technologically advanced force.
The overall goal of the nine-point reforms planned by the defense ministry is to foster deeper collaboration among key stakeholders, break silos, eliminate inefficiencies, and optimize the utilization of resources. These reforms aim to lay the foundation for “unprecedented” advancements in defense preparedness, ensuring India’s security and sovereignty amidst 21st-century challenges, said Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.
The defense ministry’s focus on theatre commands is significant, as it signals a resolve to introduce this ambitious reform in 2025. Under the theatreization model, the government seeks to integrate the capabilities of the Army, Air Force, and Navy, optimally utilizing their resources for wars and operations. Each theatre command will have units from all three services, working as a unified entity to address security challenges in a specified geographical area. Currently, the Army, Navy, and Air Force have separate commands.
The decision to observe 2025 as the “Year of Reforms” and its broad objectives were finalized at a high-level meeting chaired by Singh and attended by all defense ministry secretaries. One of the nine points discussed was the initiative to instil a “sense of pride” in Indian culture and ideas, fostering confidence in achieving global standards through indigenous capabilities while adopting best practices from modern militaries suited to India’s conditions.
“The ‘Year of Reforms’ will be a momentous step in the modernization journey of the armed forces,” Singh said. The defense ministry stated that the focus for 2025 will also be on new domains such as cyber and space, as well as emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, hypersonic, and robotics.
To give momentum to the ongoing and future reforms, it was unanimously decided to observe 2025 as the “Year of Reforms.” The reforms will focus on transforming the armed forces into a technologically advanced, combat-ready force capable of multi-domain integrated operations, the ministry added.
The Singh-led meeting emphasized the importance of jointness and integration initiatives and the establishment of integrated theatre commands. The reforms will also focus on new domains, emerging technologies, and the development of associated tactics and procedures required to win future wars. The meeting also highlighted the need for inter-service cooperation and training to develop a shared understanding of operational requirements and joint capabilities.
Additionally, the reforms aim to simplify and expedite acquisition procedures, facilitating quicker and more robust capability development. The defense reforms also include steps to enable technology transfer and knowledge sharing between the defense sector and civil industries, as well as promoting public-private partnerships by improving the ease of doing business.
The meeting further stressed collaboration across various defense ecosystem stakeholders, aiming to break silos. It also called for positioning India as a credible exporter of defense products, fostering R&D, and establishing partnerships between Indian industries and foreign original equipment manufacturers. Finally, the meeting emphasized the importance of ensuring the welfare of veterans while leveraging their expertise and optimizing welfare measures for them.
