General Upendra Dwivedi on Thursday aligned the army’s future road map with Narendra Modi’s vision of “Viksit Bharat” by 2047 while listing out four targets of army transformation to be guided by the Prime Minister’s 5S framework — Samman (respect), Samvad (dialogue), Sayog (cooperation), Samridhi (prosperity) and Suraksha
(security).
Addressing the inaugural session of Chanakya Defence Dialogue hosted by the army in Delhi, Gen Dwivedi set down four targets, referring to them as “springboards” that will drive the years of transformation ahead for the force, helping it to remain decisive and future-ready in the rapidly evolving global landscape.
These four targets, he said, would be part of a three-phased graded plan to transform till 2047.
The first one is “atmanirbharta”, the self-reliance and empowerment through indigenisation. Its results are visible in defence manufacturing and rapid military technology absorption, he said, adding: “Yet much more remains to be done as we deepen our self-reliant capability base.”
The second one is accelerated innovation, he said, adding: “We must now move on from experimentation to enterprise-scale impact at a much faster pace in artificial intelligence, cyber, quantum, autonomous systems, space and advanced materials.”
The other two “springboards” are adaptation and military-civil fusion. He said the development of warfighting capabilities was a multi-agency, multi-modal endeavour wherein academia, industry and the military must achieve deep cross-domain synergy.
Gen Dwivedi recalled the “Decade of Transformation” vision earlier announced by the army for 2023-2032, and outlined a three-phase road map aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat to make it a future-ready force.
Phase one sets the agenda for the force’s journey by 2032. Phase two is a five-year consolidated period that draws on the gains from phase one for the 2037 vision. Phase three is graduating to the next level of “integrated future-ready force design” with a 2047 vision, he said.
“So, as we carry this sovereign strategic success forward for future operations, and the larger aspirations of a Sashakt, Surakhshit and Viksit Bharat, the real question before us is what must propel our next leap,” the army chief said.
Underlining that the world had moved from the Cold War’s bipolarity through a brief unipolar moment into an “uncertain and fractured order”, he said the long peace was declining and comprehensive conflicts were on the rise.
With over 50 ongoing conflicts worldwide, to say “we live in turbulent times, may actually be an understatement”,the army chief said.
“So, if the globe is swivelling towards national security, deterrence and war-fighting,it inevitably raises a fundamental question for us — how must the Indian military transform to remain decisive and ready in this rapidly evolving global landscape,”he said.
The starting point to this question lies in Modi’s 5Ss approach, which guides how the whole-of-nation ecosystem must deliberate, coordinate and act through the “Amrit Kal” towards a Viksit Bharat, Gen Dwivedi emphasised.
President Droupadi Murmu, who was the chief guest at the inaugural session, said the success of Operation Sindoor was a “defining moment” in the country’s counter-terror and deterrence strategy and asserted that the world took note of not only India’s military capability but also its “moral clarity to act firmly, yet responsibly” in the pursuit of peace.
“Our diplomacy, our economy, and our armed forces together project an India that seeks peace, but is prepared to protect its borders and its citizens with strength and conviction,” she said.
Underscoring that the Indian armed forces haveexemplified professionalism and patriotism in guardingthe sovereignty of India, Murmu said: “During every security challenge, whether conventional, counter-insurgency, or humanitarian, our forces have displayedremarkable adaptability and resolve.”