By: Major General Sudhakar Jee, VSM (Retd)

With a vast operational experience in dealing with China and Pakistan, India couldn’t have asked for any one better than General Upendra Dwivedi, PVSM, AVSM as the 30th Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) of the Indian Army (IA).

Having served in varied terrain and operational environment including Deserts, High Altitude, Riverine, Built-Up Areas, Jammu and Kashmir in both Command of troops as well as in Staff duties with exposure to all Arms and Services within Army in all theatres of operation, especially in the northern and eastern theatre conflict zones, the Chief is best qualified and experienced to provide lasting solutions to many of the criticalities the nation is currently faced with, such as the ongoing extended stand-off along the northern borders, Manipur conflagration, revival of terrorism in Jammu region and Kashmir valley, the vulnerability of the Siliguri Corridor and others.

He is also not only competent to contribute and provide momentum to ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ but also, capable to ensure capacity and capability enhancement of the Indian Army so as to make the military might of the IA formidable as also to achieve ‘Punitive Deterrence’ against the adversaries in the long term.

The Chief would also do well to prioritize and address multiple challenges, both inside as well as outside the country.  Mindful of the reality that until the Indian economy achieves a minimum target of US$ 7-10 trillion, the country’s response to military/ hybrid security threats should be calibrated, bold and assertive but non-escalatory, say till 2032- 2035. The conceptual framework to drive the same would translate into the following: –

Short Term; 2 to 5 years – Contain

(a)  Consolidate, ensure robust defense and surveillance capability – proactive response matrix along borders to address conventional, non-traditional and emerging hybrid threats with whatever the nation has.

(b) Develop: –

(i)  And exploit existing strengths in overall combat experience, High Altitude warfare, Counter Insurgency/Counter Terrorism operations.

(ii)   And upgrade ‘Minimum Credible’ to ‘Credible conventional and nuclear deterrence’.

(iii)  Capability to engage beyond the visual range.

(iv)  Capability to reinforce the threatened Sector rapidly.

(v)  Early operationalisation of ‘Integrated Rocket Force’ and raising of more Airborne Independent Brigades.

(vi) Night fighting capabilities.

(vii) Speed up integration of the three Services.

(c)   Focus on Tibet and Xinjiang province of China.

(d)  Enhance own capabilities to counter China effectively in “mechanisation-based, informatisation-led, and “intelligentisation-oriented” aimed to upgrade its over two decades old “half-mechanised, half-informatised” force of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

(e) Atmanirbhar Bharat – focus on R&D – galvanize Users, Academia, Industries with R&D.

(f) Promote participation of Private Industries.

(g) Capability enhancement – Civil Military Fusion.

(h)  India’s ‘Vibrant Villages’, last mile connectivity and infrastructure development along the border areas.

(j)  Military Diplomacy in developing favourable neighbourhoods.

(k)   Address lacunas in the Agnipath Scheme if the same can’t be shelved – ideally speaking no new scheme of this nature should be introduced without validation and on pilot project basis until the borders are settled, an integrated, all weather and overlapping surveillance grid is developed with proactive response matrix in place over the continental & maritime borders and the island territories.

(l)  Initiate steps to settle borders.

Medium Term; 5 -10 years – Compete

(a) Upgrade ‘Credible conventional and nuclear deterrence’ to ‘Effective Credible Deterrence’.

(b) Atmanirbhar Bharat.

(c) Double down on mechanization, AI-isation, Robotics, Information Warfare (IW) –

proactive, offensive capabilities in cyber, electromagnetic, space platforms- silent/ killer drones/swarm capability, Loiter Munition, Precision Guided Weapon systems and others.

(d) Border settlement to progressive levels.

Long Term; 10 -25 years- Contest

(a) Prevail upon the Government of India and take steps to increase current allocation of 13.18% in the Defence Budget for FY 24 of Central Government Expenditure to at least 16.4% in 2012-13 or more with consistency for capability enhancement.

(b)  Robust Comprehensive National Power (CNP) and upgrade ‘Effective to Credible Punitive Deterrence’ in conventional and nuclear deterrence – “Pre-emptive Strike Capability”.

(c) Settle borders permanently.