Army readies blueprint for a year of reforms’

The Indian Army has prepared a blueprint for the goals it will pursue in 2025 in line with it being declared the "year of reforms" by defence minister Rajnath Singh on January 1, with the force focusing on five key areas: jointness and integration, force restructuring, modernisation and technology infusion, systems and processes, and human resource management, people aware of the matter said on Wednesday.

- Rahul Singh

The setting up of integrated theatre commands for the best use of the military's resources to fight future wars, a focus on new domains such as cyber and space, and simpler weapons buying procedures are among the specific interventions identified by the defence ministry. The aim is to modernise the armed forces to tackle new challenges.

Declaring 2025 as the year of reforms signals a decisive shift towards a more agile, technologically advanced, and combat ready military, said one of the persons cited above. The declaration aims at transforming India's defence apparatus into a 21st-century powerhouse capable of executing multi-domain integrated operations, he said. "The army has swiftly aligned its transformative initiatives with this roadmap to chart its course towards a future ready army," an official said.