India’s Defence Transformation: Preparing for Multi-Domain Warfare

At the Combined Commanders’ Conference 2025 in Kolkata, the Prime Minister of India highlighted the urgent need for the armed forces to move from traditional service silos to integrated theatre commands.
The focus is on enhancing jointness, leveraging advanced technology, and preparing for multi-domain warfare, reflecting the changing nature of modern conflicts.
India must adapt its military structure, doctrines, and technology to counter evolving threats from multiple fronts and domains.

AI and Automation:
- Enables faster decision-making and autonomous operations.
- Raises ethical dilemmas and increases vulnerability to cyber sabotage.
Drones and Precision Weapons:
- Low-cost drones and precision-guided munitions increase lethality and accessibility.
- Change traditional battlefield calculations and force deployment strategies.
Cyber and Information Warfare:
- Conflicts now extend to digital and psychological domains.
- Misinformation and hacking can disable critical infrastructure without firing a shot.
Two-Front Threat:
- India faces potential simultaneous pressure from China and Pakistan.
- Requires jointness, structural reforms, and technology-driven preparedness.

Theatre Commands Push:
- PM of India urged a shift from service coordination to integrated theatre commands for unified operational control.
Inter-Services Rules 2025:
- Commanders now have administrative and disciplinary authority, ensuring true jointness in operations.
Tri-Service Agencies:
- Cyber, space, and special operations wings under HQ IDS enhance integrated defence readiness.
Modular Battle Groups:
- Units like “Rudra” and “Bhairav” integrate infantry, armour, artillery, and surveillance for rapid mission-specific deployment.
Amphibious Doctrine:
- Provides land-air-sea synergy, though India still lags behind China in fully integrated commands.

Joint Doctrines Modernisation:
- 2017 and 2018 doctrines laid foundations for synergy but require modernisation for multi-domain warfare.
Ran Samvad Seminar:
- Emphasized building “hybrid warriors” skilled in tactics, coding, cyber, and information warfare.
Key Platforms and Systems:
- MQ-9B Drones: Provide persistent ISR and precision strike, enhancing tri-service operations.
- Rafale-M Jets: Boost carrier aviation, improving maritime strike and fleet air defence.
- Akashteer AI Network: Integrates Army air defence with IAF command systems, enabling fast and automated responses.

Integrated Battle Groups:
- “Rudra” brigades designed for deployment within 12–48 hours, combining multi-domain assets for rapid response.
Pralay Missile Trials:
- Quasi-ballistic missiles expand land-based theatre strike capability against hardened targets.
Carrier-Centric Navy:
- Rafale-M jets stabilize near-term air wings, while a 15-year roadmap charts manned and unmanned operational dominance.
Civil-Military Fusion:
- Integration of DRDO, PSUs, private firms, and universities into professional military education (PME) accelerates innovation.

Gradual Theatre Commands:
- Start with limited mandates, gradually expanding while balancing inter-service differences with operational needs.
Standardised Systems:
- Implement unified data and interface protocols for seamless communication and interoperability.
Technologist-Commanders:
- Embed AI, cyber, coding, and tech training into leadership to develop adaptive, multi-domain warriors.
Industrial Ecosystem:
- Focus on rapid prototyping, repeated field trials, and discarding obsolete systems to maintain military agility.

The future battlefield will be multi-domain, where speed, information dominance, and adaptability are as decisive as firepower.
For India, achieving true jointness, fostering civil-military integration, and embracing technological innovation are critical to remain operationally decisive against evolving threats.

Source : The Hindu