The battlefield, change and the Indian armed forces

With paradigm shifts in how global wars are being fought, India faces immense challenges from its adversaries in all domains. Artificial intelligence (AI), automation, drones and cheap precision weapons have lowered the cost of force yet have heightened the risks of operation. Against this backdrop of a two-front threat scenario, India is reshaping its structure, doctrine, technology, force composition, professional military education (PME) and military readiness. However, past attempts at building jointness have delivered only limited results. Reforms must now advance at a speed and scale that can match the operational needs of the armed forces.

From ‘coordination’ to ‘command’

At the combined commanders conference last month in Kolkata, with the theme of ‘Year of Reforms – Transformation for the Future’,, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the intention to move from service silos to integrated theatre commands. The Ministry of Defence has prioritised a review of structural, administrative, and operational matters such as the Inter-Services Organisations (Command, Control and Discipline) Rules, 2025, wherein commanders in organisations are empowered to exercise disciplinary and administrative authority for jointness in coordinated operations. However, these measures must be evaluated against real metrics. A decade after Mr. Modi emphasised jointness as a priority, it is only now that the Indian military has arrived at joint PME, underlining that the progression is not proportionate to the needs of today.

The recent declassification of India’s Joint Doctrine for Amphibious Operations also details the framework for amphibious operations by integrating maritime, air, and land forces.

Meanwhile, the Defence Ministry has already raised tri-service agencies for cyber, space, and special operations under Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS). New battle formations such as the “Rudra” and “Bhairav” units reflect this shift by combining infantry, artillery, armour, air defence, engineers, and surveillance elements into modular, mission-specific combat groups. These enable faster reaction times and more flexible operational deployment, especially along volatile borders (China and Pakistan).

The recent declassification of India’s Joint Doctrine for Amphibious Operations also details the framework for amphibious operations by integrating maritime, air, and land forces. However, theatrisation as understood by several militaries around the world, has yet to be contextualised in the Indian context. China has embodied integrated theatre commands for years. Indian theatrisation must be indigenous in design. This is all the more important when the jointness of all services has not been tested until now. While Operation Sindoor was a show of strength, the confrontation was largely aerial and did not require jointness for complete mobilisation.

Doctrine and tech evolution for war

The Joint Doctrine of the Indian Armed Forces (2017) and the Army’s Land Warfare Doctrine (2018) set the basics for synergy and jointness. The recent Ran Samvad (the first tri-service seminar on war, warfare and warfighting) deliberated on preparing for future hybrid warriors (scholar, tech, and information warriors) who can read an adversary, code a solution, and shape the narrative. In changing times, doctrinal evolution must consider that future wars will be multi-domain from beginning, in which speed and information will decide the outcomes as much as conventional firepower.

The MQ-9B drones deepen persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and precision strike across land and sea.

Recent procurement has been critical and in alignment with creating seamless jointness. The MQ-9B drones deepen persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and precision strike across land and sea. This deal underpins tri-service employment. The Navy’s Rafale-M order stabilises carrier aviation and opens new options for maritime strike and fleet air defence. Akashteer, an AI-enabled, automated command-and-control network for Army air defence, is being integrated with the Air Force’s Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS). This is a standard but important step in advancing jointness.

Creating a modern force

The Army’s Integrated Battle Groups is emerging as an all-arms brigades (“Rudra”) specifically designed to deploy within 12 to 48 hours with armour, infantry, artillery, engineers, loitering munitions and drones tailored to specific areas of confrontation. Momentum is now needed to translate into functioning brigades with joint training, logistics, and firepower. The Pralay quasi-ballistic missile completed back-to-back user trials in July 2025, strengthening land-based theatre fires. At sea, a carrier-centred maritime posture is being developed. The Rafale-M supports near-term air wings while the Navy charts a 15-year capability road map to manage air, subsurface, and unmanned growth.

India’s next step is to place integration and learning at the centre of military power. This means establishing a stable and effective jointness that sets common data and interface standards. Despite inter-services differences, theatre commands should be activated, maybe with initial mandates and expanding authorities assessed over time. Professional military education must raise cadres of technologist-commanders embedded into every field exercise where failure is dealt with course correction. To make it effective, civil-military fusion is indispensable with the Defence Research and Development Organisation, defence public sector undertakings, private industry and universities for code, data, test ranges and rapid prototyping embedded in PME and exercises. A strong industrial complex management base should be tied into this cycle through rapid and repeated trials that keep what works and retire what is outdated. Where change shifts the dynamics of the battlefield, only an adaptive military moves the front.

This commentary originally appeared in The Hindu.

The views expressed above belong to the author(s). ORF research and analyses now available on Telegram! Click here to access our curated content — blogs, longforms and interviews.