Rajnath to carry out quarterly review of key defence reforms

Defence minister Rajnath Singh will conduct a quarterly review of critical defence reforms being driven by the government to boost the armed forces’ combat readiness, with the move putting the spotlight on setting up of integrated theatre commands for the best use of the military’s resources to fight future wars, new domains such as cyber and space, and the need to simplify weapons buying procedures, two officials aware of the development said on Monday.

The goal is to measure progress and make course correction if needed to push the reforms that are directly linked to the country’s defence preparedness, the officials added, asking not to be named.

“Time-bound goals are a top priority, and all stakeholders must give their best,” said one of the officials.

The ongoing reforms came into sharp focus on January 1 when the defence ministry declared 2025 as the “year of reforms” aimed at transforming the military into a technologically advanced, combat-ready force capable of tackling new challenges. The reforms cited above are among the nine areas identified by the defence ministry for focused intervention.

The armed forces have started working towards the goals.

The army, for instance, has prepared a blueprint for the goals it will pursue in 2025 in line with the government’s renewed push for defence reforms. It is focusing on five key areas including jointness and integration, force restructuring, modernisation and technology infusion, systems and processes, and human resource management.

To be sure, the “year of reforms” comes on the back of the army’s “year of transformation” (2023) and “years of technology absorption” (2024 and 2025). Still, acknowledging the long gestation period required for meaningful change, the army has identified 2023 to 2032 as the “decade of transformation”.

The areas identified by the defence ministry for focused intervention include developing a shared understanding of operational requirements and joint operational capabilities through inter-service cooperation and training, facilitating technology transfer and knowledge sharing between the defence sector and the civil industry, and positioning India as a credible exporter of defence products.

“The periodic review at the defence minister’s level signals the government’s commitment to implementing these reforms. It will help identify issues that may have to be addressed to speed up changes in the system,” said strategic affairs expert Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd).

The reforms seek to build indigenous capabilities to strengthen the armed forces. On February 1, India set aside more than ₹6.81 lakh crore for defence spending in the Union Budget for 2025-26, including ₹1.8 lakh crore for the modernisation of the military at a time it is planning to buy fighter jets, helicopters, warships, submarines, tanks, artillery guns, drones, rockets and missiles.

The country has earmarked 75% of the modernisation outlay for buying weapons and systems from domestic suppliers to achieve the self-reliance goal.

The reforms also seek to simplify acquisition procedures for swifter capability development.

The theaterisation drive, a long-awaited military reform, is expected to gather pace. Jointness among the three services is an essential prerequisite to the creation of theatre commands. The theaterisation model being pursued involves raising the China-centric northern theatre command in Lucknow, the Pakistan-centric western theatre command in Jaipur, and the maritime theatre command in Thiruvananthapuram.