THOUGH the Government has declared 2025 as the Year of Defence Reforms, the country’s defence establishment had already been engaged in that activity in a calibrated manner for the past few years. One by one, the Government was fulfilling the promise it made to the nation in the Defence sector in terms of self-sufficiency in production or procurement of defence merchandise or in terms of force-level structural or strategic alterations to spruce up the overall security considerations. Now that the Government has declared 2025 as the Year of Defence Reforms, the nation and the world can expect to see on the ground a much greater push to the process already in operation for some years. Just a few days ago, Defence Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh announced proudly that India’s defence exports had crossed the Rs. 21,000 crore mark and was expected to cut across the Rs. 50,000 crore mark soon. But that announcement, too, came only at the end of a very successful culmination of the last calendar year in terms of defence exports -- thanks, of course, to the the innovative Make In India or Atmanirbhar Bharat ideas that gave a terrific push to defence production in either of the categories.

 

In this sector, India harbours a high ambition and will become a global leader in the years to come. But what will matter most in 2025 will concern the structural and strategic reforms of the Armed Forces, including the implementation of the concept such as theaterisation -- by way of which every segment of the Defence Forces operates under one command-head so that a better cooperation and collaboration among different entities takes place in a coordinated manner not only during war but also during peace. The concept of theaterisation would also mean better logistical operations and robust supply-chain handling. India gave a push to the idea when the Government introduced the long-awaited position of the Chief of Defence Staff as the apex of the concept. That it was not only a notional idea but also a practical one got proved immediately in subsequent times when the Defence Forces started giving shape to the concept in a calibrated manner in most areas. In 2025, this concept will get a statedly greater sense of purpose. Defence reforms, of course, have a wider and deeper meaning -- to which the Government proposes to give a definitive expression in practice in 2025.

 

This will, thus, help India to spruce up its Defence planning and strategic management. Until now, things were happening rather quietly, but from now onwards, the activity will be visible to the people though in bits and pieces. For this purpose, the nine-point programme announced by the Government will bring to the common people a greater sense of pride in Defence Forces. There will be change in symbolisms, too, as was clear from the change in the naval insignia some time ago. Cumulatively, all these will make the Defence Forces become stronger than before. For, if technology-upgradation is one area of focus, then cultural consolidation will be another. The idea of pushing Defence Reforms to fore as the open national agenda will create a stronger-than-ever bond between the Defence Forces and the common people of India. In modern times when warfare will leave its traditional framework and will spread in hitherto unimagined domains and fields, a greater involvement of the common people in the idea of national security will mean a lot to New India. The year 2025 as a Year of Defence Reforms, thus, will create new benchmarks in India strategic culture and will weave the people factor more cohesively into the security fabric. This will be truly a great step forward for the country as India takes a more confident strides in fulfilling a global role.