Army chief outlines ‘set of springboards’ to transform the force, make it future-ready
In his speech at the opening session of the third edition of the Chanakya Defense Dialogue, an important meeting hosted by the Army here, he outlined a “springboard series” that will take forward the years-long transformation of the force to remain determined and future-ready in this rapidly evolving global environment.
Gen Dwivedi said, “We live in an increasingly multipolar world, where great powers are constantly jostling and competing. The world has moved from the bipolarity of the Cold War, from a brief unipolar period, to an uncertain and fragmented order. The long segment is decreasing and comprehensive conflicts are increasing.” he said.
He underlined that saying “we are living in turbulent times” may be an understatement at a time when more than 50 conflicts are ongoing around the world.
So, if the world is pivoting towards national security, deterrence and war, this inevitably “raises a fundamental question for us: How does the Indian military need to transform to remain determined and ready in this rapidly evolving global environment?” he said.
The starting point of this issue lies in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of the 5S approach of ‘Samman, Samvad, Sayog, Samridhi and Suraksha’, which stands for respect, dialogue, cooperation, prosperity and security, the chief officer said. He suggested that this approach guides how the entire ecosystem of the nation should think, coordinate and act through ‘Amrit Kal’ towards a Viksit Bharat. The theme of Chanakya Defense Dialogue 2025 is: “Reform to Transform: Sashakt and Aur Surakshit Bharat”.
Senior officials of the Indian armed forces and defense and strategic affairs experts from India and abroad gathered in Delhi for this two-day conclave held at the Maneksahw Center in Delhi Cantonment.
In his speech, General Dwivedi recalled the Army’s previously announced ‘Ten Year Transformation’ vision for the period 2023-2032 and outlined a three-phase plan to make it a future-ready force.
The first phase, ‘jump’, set the agenda for the force’s journey until 2032.
Gen Dwivedi said the second phase for the 2037 vision is a consolidated five-year period that leverages the gains from the first phase and the third phase, the “leapfrog”, transitioning to the next level of “future-ready integrated force design” with the 2047 vision.
This trend was further reinforced by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh’s earlier designation of 2025 as the ‘Year of Reforms’ and proved its worth in Operation Sindoor, where years of reforms and preparation turned into “decisive results”.
“So, as we take forward this sovereign strategic achievement for future operations and the greater ambitions of Sashakt, Surakhshit and Viksit Bharat, the real question before us is what should propel our next breakthrough,” the army chief said.
He outlined a series of springboards that would carry forward the years of transformation.
The first of these is ‘atmanirbharta’, i.e. self-reliance and empowerment through indigenization.
The second is accelerated innovation, he said, adding: “We must now move much more quickly from experimentation to enterprise-scale impact in artificial intelligence, cyber, quantum, autonomous systems, space and advanced materials.”
The other two springboards are harmony and military-civilian fusion.
General Dwivedi said he was confident this meeting would present “actionable issues”.
President Droupadi Murmu was the chief guest of the inaugural session.
“Your presence here today as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces is an inspiration and serves as a catalyst in the journey of becoming a future-ready force capable of effective deterrence and conducting decisive multi-domain operations,” Gen Dwivedi said. he said.
