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Modernisation demands speed while indigenisation will take time and managing this contradiction is the key, former army chief General Manoj Pande (retd) said on Thursday and asserted it is time to move away from taking incremental steps to “leapfrog and perhaps pole-vault” in the quest for ‘Atmanirbharta’ in defence.
In a special address at The Week Defence Conclave hosted at Manekshaw Centre here, he also said that a “path-breaking reform” in the human resource management has been implemented by the Services in the form of Agnipath scheme.
“Its evolution, planning and implementation required extensive inter-ministerial and inter-departmental consultations and coordination of a very complex nature. I believe this process must continue, for further consolidation and refinement to the scheme,” General Pande said.
He also spelt out the core difference between reforms and transformation being sought in the sector.
In order to give impetus to the ongoing and future reforms, the government has declared 2025 as the ‘Year of Reforms’ in the Ministry of Defence, aiming at transforming the armed forces into a technologically-advanced combat-ready force capable of multi-domain integrated operations.
Reforms are about changes and making the system more efficient and it deals with finite issues, while transformation involves a fundamental change which has to do with attitude, mindset and is broader in scope, involves long-term actions, is organisation-wide and deals with more than one function of a department or an agency.
“Transformation, therefore, can achieve better results for a multi-agency or the multi-disciplinary organisation such as the Ministry of Defence. They say the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, so in this case, reforms are the part, the transformation is the whole,” he added.
In his address, General Pande also touched upon the aspect of achieving self-reliance in defence sector while working towards modernisation. “While modernisation will demand speed and is the need of the hour, indigenisation will take time. Managing this contradiction in my opinion is the key. And, I also believe it is time, we moved away from taking incremental steps to leapfrog and perhaps pole-vault in our quest for ‘Atmanirbharta’,” he said.
General Pande had superannuated in June 2024 after more than four decades of service to the nation as the 29th Chief of the Army Staff (COAS). Under his leadership, year 2024 was declared ‘Year of Technology Absorption’ for the Indian Army.
“We need to recognise that the defence forces are form part of a larger defence and security environment or ecosystem in the country… So, if the aim of the reforms is to enhance defence capabilities, operational readiness levels, improve combat and functional efficiency, it is not just the reforms pertaining to individual service or department that is going to be important.
“And, unless cross-functional linkages, inter-department linkages, besides the aspects of jointness, integration, and the tri-Service synergy are addressed, I feel the overall outcomes will always remain sub-optimal,” he said.
The former army chief underlined that any reform must go through “five distinct phases”, from identifying the need for change to sustaining the change, and each of the phases are equally important and must have clearly-defined objectives, deliverables, timelines and must focus on actionable points and allocate specific responsibilities for execution.
Also for a reform to succeed, its evolution should be participative and collaborative, with due consultations from within the organisation, and if required, even outside it, he said. Leaders at all levels must take ownership and communicate effectively the purpose of the reform to the rank and file. Shedding of entrenched beliefs, methods and processes entails a focus shift in the cognitive domain, the former COAS said.
The Indian Army has spelt out its transformation roadmap based on five pillars. “Defence reforms must not be seen in isolation, as incremental in nature, as individual steps that each service is taking, they must form part of the overall transformation efforts. We should look beyond the ‘Year of Defence Reforms’ and convert the process into a drive or movement for transformation towards achieving our identified visions, goals and objectives,” he said.
Forme IAF chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari (Retd.) also addressed the gathering during the conclave.
He also spoke about the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the use of drones in it. “The future of any conflict as I see it, will focus less on firepower and more on the power of information,” he said.
