Military & Aerospace

Indian Army: 2020
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Issue Vol 20.4 Oct-Dec 2005 | Date : 06 Jun , 2011

Nature of Warfare in 2020

We have already seen that war with the USA and China (and, indeed, other advanced countries) is most unlikely. War with Pakistan may however occur, as also minor skirmishes with Bangladesh. Such engagements may have the following characteristics :-

  • They will be of short duration, say, a week or less.
  • Penetration in depth is unlikely to be attempted by either side.
  • ‘Cold Start’ will be attempted whenever possible to achieve surprise and maximise gains.
  • The entire border is likely to be activated with shallow thrusts, very heavy firepower and short span manoeuvres.
  • Nuclear weapons may not be used; their use may, however, be threatened.
  • Special Forces and coup-de-main forces will play a major role.
  • Integrated action by all three services will be crucial for the enhancement of our combat power vis-à-vis the adversary’s.
  • Levels of technology employed in the wars will be higher than at present.
  • Wars will end in stalemate, with little or no gain, and heavy losses to military as well as civilian targets.
  • In the case of Bangladesh, the threat is of such a low level as to be non-serious. However in the skirmishing, the danger of casualties to unarmed civilians will be great and will need to be handled with firmness and imagination.

Vision : Indian Army: 2020

The foregoing threat assessment and the likely nature of any future war we may be required to fight, including the extreme contingencies we have listed, should give us the ‘Vision’ of the Indian Army, 2020. We may state this vision as follows: –

“The Indian Army, 2020 will be an optimally equipped and weaponised force, with the capability to operate effectively in an integrated joint services environment, over the entire spectrum of conflict, in a regional context.”

The vision statement spelt out above, is appropriate to the restrained aspirations of this huge and benign country, whose ethical values and traditions inhibit it from anything less modest than what has been stated. It also ensures that this country shall never again have to undergo the humiliation of foreign conquest, as in the past; hence the emphasis on optimal strength, under all conditions of warfare.

Role of the Indian Army

Armies are maintained by countries in order to safeguard their core values and national interests from external aggression and internal subversion. The Primary and Secondary roles of our Army are as under :-

  • Primary Role. Deter external aggression and, if deterrence fails, defeat it by force.
  • Secondary Role. Assist the Government in overcoming internal threats, foreign sponsored or indigenous, and aid the civil authority when requisitioned for the purpose.

Capabilities Entailed by the Role

The capabilities that the Army must posses to fulfill its role must be identified in accordance with our ‘Vision’ for the Army. The capabilities, thus identified are as under :-

  • Deterrent Capability. The Army should be so strong in both conventional and nuclear weapons, that potential aggressors are deterred.
  • War Fighting Capability. If deterrence fails, the Army should be able to fight a successful war against the enemy, over any terrain, and in conventional as well as NBC warfare situations.
  • Internal Security Management Capability. The Army should be able to deal with and manage internal security situations of various types like insurgency, grave law and order situations; and also render aid to civil power, when requisitioned under various situations including disasters, both natural and man-made.
  • Force Projection Capability. The Army should be capable of operating ‘out-of-area’ as part of an integrated task force, when ordered by the Government.
  • Peace Keeping Operations Capability. The Army should be able to undertake UN Peace Keeping Missions in any part of the world and inter-operate with Army components of other countries in such operations.

Though we presently posses all these capabilities in some measure, the desired level is yet to be realised in many areas. Resource inadequacy, lack of clear policy directions from the Government, frequent ‘re-thinks’ on the part of the Army, failure of timely supplies of material and shoddy quality of what has been supplied, are some of the reasons attributable to the Army’s inability to achieve and retain the desired level of capability at all times. Perhaps, even more important reason, is the knowledge driven Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA), which accelerates the process of obsolescence of equipment, doctrines and tactics. It is in this critical area of RMA that a lot of work needs to be done so that we can have adequate levels of the desired capabilities, at all times.

Let us now examine whether the present structure of the Army needs to be altered to enable the Army to fulfill its assigned role better.

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2 thoughts on “Indian Army: 2020

  1. LOL
    nice joke indian army !
    you can’t hide by your crimes – 1994-1996 – 1998 Remember your officers were involved in raping Kashmir Womens.

    Remember 1984 operation Blue Star – Killing innocents Sikhs and attacked the Sikh Shrine

    you are a joke indian army – your training is weak.

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