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Opinion National Interest PoV 50-Word Edit

ThePrint On Camera Videos In Pictures

Society & Culture Around Town Book Excerpts Vigyapanti The Dating Story

More Judiciary Education YourTurn Work With Us Campus Voice

3 things Indian military must keep out of its reforms agenda

Over the next few years, there will be several unknown unknowns at all levels in the Indian Armed Forces, which could cause a high degree of churn.

India’s Ministry of Defence declared 2025 as the ‘Year of Reforms’. This was followed by the release of Defence Forces Vision 2047 in March 2026. While these efforts list several goals for the military reforms, such as enhancing jointness and optimising resource utilisation, what they don’t specify are the anti-goals — things that we don’t want to happen.

Avoid continentalisation of Indian military strategy

The Great Wall of China is a testament to the predominant continental mindset of China in the past. Interestingly, China was a dominant maritime power in the early decades of the 15th century. It had the largest ships in the world and sponsored the remarkable voyages of Zheng He. This growth was achieved in a very short time and was strongly favoured by the rulers. However, this status enjoyed by the newcomer navy was a regular cause for bureaucratic tensions and budgetary rivalry. With successive kings, a deliberate reorientation of the old continental strategy was orchestrated by the bureaucrats. Thus, China abandoned the maritime interests of its own volition and resumed construction of the Great Wall. The timing of this decision couldn’t have been worse, as it was done exactly when the Europeans were beginning the exploration of the seas that later led to colonialisation. 

Arzan Tarapore, in a 2020 working paper for Carnegie, argued that the Indian military strategy since Independence has revolved around ground forces managing threats on the continental periphery. This was primarily based on the use of large ground formations with air power in an adjunct role and never projecting sea power. Six years hence, things have possibly changed. Operation........

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