India plans major military reforms under ‘Defence Vision 2047’

Preparing Indian armed forces for the complexities of an evolving strategic environment will be a key priority in the years ahead, according to ‘
Defence Vision 2047′, a defence policy outlook released by the government of India. The policy outlines the pathway to transform defence forces into an integrated, multi-domain and agile force.

The Vision document lays special emphasis on bringing reforms in the organisation, training, capability enhancement, and defence diplomacy.

The policy focuses on bringing ‘atmanirbharta’ (self reliance) in defence production, highlighting that as the nation heads towards becoming a developed nation, the need to ensure the country’s external and internal security becomes paramount.

The document is significant as it places armed forces at the centre of India’s emergence as a developed nation, arguing that economic and military power are not parallel ambitions but co-dependent ones.

Reforms across domains

To achieve the goal of ‘atmanirbharta’, it proposes to nurture indigenous industries and to promote research and development in the country. The document also calls for revamping the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) to strengthen the country’s defence ecosystem.

In order to strengthen India’s position in multi-domain warfare, the policy proposes the creation of new institutions with specialised capabilities that includes a defence geo-spatial agency, a data force, a drone force and a cognitive warfare action force.

Laying the foundation for organisational reforms, the document asks for tri-service jointness, between the Army, Navy and Air Force, in order to enable smooth execution of operations. The policy further calls for strengthening the Agnipath scheme to attract motivated youth in the forces.

Additionally, it puts forward a proposal to bring a common Defence Forces Act to govern the conduct, discipline and service conditions of personnel across the three services.

Uncertain geostrategic environment

The Vision document acknowledges that global peace is continuously marked by uncertainty and volatility. In this inter-connected world, as competition, crisis and conflicts exist together, no nation can remain isolated to the outside world, the document notes. This observation comes at a time when the war in West Asia has upended the global order.

The plan calls for expanding ballistic missile defence system in order to protect the economic and strategic assets of the country as well as civilian infrastructure against multi-domain threats under
_Mission Sudarshan Chakra_.

Talking of the growing trade weaponisation, the policy says that the use of trade barriers, tariffs and protectionism has weakened the influence of trade as a driver of peace and inter-dependence.