Character of war continues to change, disruptive technologies blunting conventional combat force ratios, says Army Chief Manoj Pande

Indian Army Chief Manoj Pande on Friday said that amid the ongoing geopolitical flux in the world order, the character of war continues to change and disruptive technologies are blunting conventional combat force ratios.

Speaking at the ‘Firstpost Defence Summit 2024’, he said, “Multi-domain operations to include cyber space, electromagnetic spectrum and information are today in inescapable realities, conventional instruments of war have also undergone notable technological progression."

He said non-state actors are increasingly gaining access to modern technologies of military use and employing it for symmetric leverage and conflict.

“Cumulatively, we have seen that the battle space has become more complex, contested and leathal. Technology, we believe is emerging as the new strategic arena of geopolitical competition. Technology denials are intensifying and transforming the ways nations interact, compete and pursue their interest."

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He said the impact of external dependency for critical components, supply chain disruptions  and weaponization of denial regimes came to the fore during the pandemic.

“And also from the lessons that we learn from the ongoing conflicts world over. These developments have clearly underscored that the security of the nation can neither be outsourced nor be dependent on the larges of others. The need to be self-reliant in meeting our defence needs, both in acquiring new weapon systems platforms and equipment, and sustenance of existing once by meeting ammunition, spares and maintenance demands and achieving self-sufficiency in critical technology is hence an imperative."

He said as guardians of the nation security, we are seized of the need to completely ween away from import dependencies.

“For our capability development requirements, and this aspect remains pivotal in a strategic planning to be future ready,” added the Army Chief.

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He said the Indian Army’s vision is to transform into a modern, agile, adaptive, technology-enabled, self-reliant future-ready force capable to deter and win wars in a multi-domain operational environment across the full spectrum of conflict to protect our national interest in synergy with other services.

“The vision as you would have seen clearly recognises the felt need for initiating progressive changes, which accrue from four key drivers -namely the unprecedented trends in the geopolitical landscape. The limitless potential of disruptive technology is that we have seen the transforming or changing character of modern wars and profound changes that we see in the socio economic domain."  

He said that in order to affect the desired changes, the Indian Army had initiated the process of transformation sometime back and it entailed essentially five distinct pillars - namely four structure and four structuring and optimization, modernization and technology infusion, refining our systems processes and functions, fourth was Human Resource Management and last was improving jointness and integration.

“We have made good and considerable progress spanning all these disciplines. I should focus on modernisation and technology infusion as part of which we are pursuing new and niche technologies for absorption into our war fighting systems. And this has been giving effect through a focused capability development and sustenance road map which confirms to our commitment to the vision of atmanirbharta or achieving self reliance,” added the Army Chief.