By Gen JJ Singh

The 21st Century is India’s century. India has to seize this unprecedented opportunity and meet the aspirations of the citizens of our great nation. This would entail developing all elements of national power — economic, political, military, diplomatic, social and cultural — to achieve our rightful place in the comity of nations. We are blessed with a strategic location, natural resources and a dynamic, industrious and youthful population.

“Societies that want to live in peace should be always prepared for war,” said Kautilya, the great military strategist of ancient India. History is replete with example of nations which ignored this dictum and suffered humiliation.

The armed forces have held a pivotal position amongst the various instruments available to the country, in addressing all facets which impact on the security of the nation. Undoubtedly, this responsibility and role will continue to be assigned to them in the coming years and decades. Therefore, they have to remain ‘ready and relevant’ to meet these challenges.

The Indian armed forces are in the process of modernization and capability building. They are also evolving new doctrines and validating them, keeping in mind the security challenges of the future and the revolution in military affairs, so that we transform into a lean, mean and integrated war-winning team.

What would safeguarding our sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity against external and internal threats entail in future? The primary and fundamental role of the armed forces is to defend the nation against external threats. The secondary role is to aid civil authorities and restore law and order when requisitioned by the government, and to provide relief and rescue in the event of natural and manmade disasters or similar challenges.

Additionally, we have to prepare our armed forces for various contingency tasks which may arise in the future in keeping with the growing stature and responsibilities of our nation in a globalizing world. In the words of Mr Kofi Annan on the inevitability of this phenomenon, “arguing against globalization is like arguing against the laws of gravity”. Hence, we as a growing nation cannot absolve ourselves from our responsibility towards promotion of peace and security in our region and the world.

The roles that the armed forces would have to undertake in the future world will, to a significant extent, contribute towards determining the size and shape of the military. These would relate not only to the challenges that would need to be overcome, but also the additional capabilities that would need to be built.

The other major determinants for transformation would be technological and budgetary factors, as well as defence policy and military doctrine. Although an all-out conventional war is unlikely in our context, we should be prepared to fight across the full spectrum of conflict with a nuclear backdrop, and counter asymmetric warfare by state and non-state actors.

The above would call for a tri-service approach and a truly integrated force structure, the capability to operate jointly in land, air and sea, and to utilize space and cyber space optimally. Our strategic capability will have a critical role to play in the event of a shortfall in our conventional doctrine or capabilities, thus reducing our vulnerability and ensuring that we retain our strategic autonomy while dealing with potential adversaries.

The armed forces of the future will have to be provided enhanced capabilities qualitatively rather than quantitatively. We have to right-size the armed forces as far as manpower is concerned. We could look at right-sizing through usage of selective reservists and enhanced Territorial Army content. Modernization and better training of paramilitary forces and central police organisations will enhance their capabilities and reduce commitments of regular forces for law and order duties.

Qualitatively, emphasis will be on strategic reach and the ability to ensure secure sea lanes of communication — as also on force multipliers based on high technology, precision guided munitions and fire power. This would imply acquiring or enhancing the capability for dynamic and multidimensional employment of widely dispersed joint forces in combination with information warfare ability, to apply decisive pressure upon the enemy’s centre of gravity, thereby compelling the adversary to react from a position of disadvantage.

Such an approach would necessitate the creation of lean, air-mobile units and formations, enhancing amphibious, special forces and strategic or tactical airlift capability, and enhancing capabilities in the information and technological realm. Further, it is imperative that the threat from asymmetric warfare techniques like proxy wars, insurgencies, and terrorism and piracy on the high seas by non-state actors be countered effectively.

We need to hone our capabilities for undertaking combined operations with friendly armed forces. There is a need for a well-deliberated and coordinated approach towards the conduct of combined exercises and the sharing of expertise. Though our country has a stated policy of participating only under the UN flag, the possibility of undertaking or participating in UN sanctioned operations which may not be under the UN flag, could be considered in future.

Technology is a major driver of doctrine and concepts of war-fighting today. Information dominance could well be added as a new principle of warfare. Enhanced C4I2SR (command, control, communication, computers, information, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) capability permits complex military operations to be undertaken simultaneously over several theatres.

Strategic use of information warfare to destroy or incapacitate an adversary’s capability for effective war-fighting by targeting his planning, command and control apparatus is going to form a vital component of military strategy. Multi-dimensional protection is required to enable forces to maintain freedom of action. Armed forces will also require protection against nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

All of this implies the need to have a better educated manpower base for optimum exploitation of modern weapon systems. There is a need not only for better technical education facilities within the armed forces, but also the need for better intake.

This may become a major cause for concern in the future, unless the defence forces are made more attractive by addressing the financial and ‘esteem’ needs of its warriors.

The nation’s financial resources have to be matched against the competing requirements of security and socio economic development — the classic ‘gun versus butter’ debate. “Only strength respects strength,” said our former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. Economic growth and prosperity can be brought to a standstill if national security is ignored.

In any future challenge to our national security, the stakes will be very high. As is well known, there are no silver medals in war. Hence, we in the armed forces must justify the trust reposed in us by our countrymen, and reinforce the formidable reputation earned by us as a force that delivers by preparing for the future challenges and emerging victorious, each and every time.

(Gen JJ Singh retired as Chief of the Army Staff last month)