ARMY COMMANDERS’ CONFERENCE CONCLUDES CALLING FOR GREATER IMPETUS ON ONGOING TRANSFORMATION
The Army Commanders’ Conference concluded in
New Delhi on 2 April 2024. The biannual event, held in a hybrid
format, commenced with a virtual session chaired by General Manoj Pande, Chief
of Army Staff (COAS), on 28th March 2024, and was followed by in-person
discussions on 1st and 2nd April 2024. The senior leadership of the
Army brainstormed a wide array of security-related aspects, including ongoing
transformation initiatives, leveraging technology and innovation for capability
development, enhancing operational preparedness, addressing emerging security
and HR-related issues.
Rajnath
Singh, Raksha Mantri (Defence Minister), in his keynote address on 2nd April
2024, reaffirmed the nation’s trust in the Indian Army, acknowledging its
indispensable role in national security. He applauded the stellar role of the
Army in guarding the borders, fighting terrorism and providing aid to the civil
administration during crises. The RM exhorted the Army leadership to constantly
review doctrinal, structural, & organisational reforms to meet future
challenges in view of the evolving security dynamics.
The
Raksha Mantri also appreciated the efforts of Indian Army in developing niche
technologies in collaboration with indigenous industries and premier
educational institutions. Further underscoring the importance of investing in
modernisation and technological advancements, he acknowledged appreciable
progress made towards the aim of achieving ‘Modernisation through
Indigenisation’ under the abiding mantra of ‘Atmanirbharta’.
The
Raksha Mantri also reaffirmed the commitment of the Government to the welfare
of soldiers, veterans and their families. He emphasised the importance of
developing a trained and motivated workforce that can handle the challenges of
contemporary combat while being adept at futuristic evolution in warfighting.
He called on the leadership to invest in human capital by adhering to the
traditions and principles of mutual respect, loyalty, and discipline. Shri
Rajnath Singh also released Indian Army UN Journal -2024 encapsulating the
theme of ‘Resilience and Adaptability’ on the occasion.
The
senior leadership of the Army was also addressed by General Anil Chauhan, Chief
of Defence Staff (CDS), General Manoj Pande, COAS, Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief
of the Naval Staff (CNS) and Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Chief of the Air
Staff (CAS).
The CDS
complimented formations and the soldiers for their commitment towards security
of the borders with a professional approach while at the same time dealing with
challenges and embracing the transformational changes enthusiastically. He also
exhorted the senior leadership to embrace the aspects of jointness, integration,
and technological absorption in sync with the call of the ‘Third Revolution in
Military Affairs’.
The COAS
during his address complimented the Army fraternity for successfully wading
through myriad challenges and embracing the transformational changes with
enthusiasm. He called upon the senior leadership to continue pursuing the
process of transformation and technology absorption besides adopting the best
practices of sister services and modern armies. He also emphasised the need to
ensure seamless situational awareness between commanders at all levels and
troops on the ground. The COAS also highlighted that there is a constant need
to undertake doctrinal and structural reforms by embracing change and being
open to new ideas to meet future operational challenges.
The CNS and CAS emphasised
the importance of enhanced jointness given the lessons emerging from
contemporary conflicts. They underscored the importance of synergy at the
grass-roots level between the services for optimum operational outcomes.
Sharing the highlights of ongoing initiatives in their respective services, the
Chiefs emphasised the necessity to ensure seamless coordination during joint
operations and exercises.
The senior hierarchy of
the Army was also addressed by Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa & former CEO of
Niti Aayog and Pankaj Saran, former diplomat and Deputy National Security
Advisor. The distinguished speakers alluded to the changing geopolitics, impact
of developments in the neighbourhood and the global arena on India, and
underscored the ever-growing role and importance of armed forces in India’s
rise and future trajectory. They emphasised upon the importance of strategic
planning and readiness in order to effectively navigate these complex dynamics
in future.
Over the
two days, senior Army leadership delved deep into current and emerging security
landscapes, contemporary subjects affecting the Indian Army and HR aspects
affecting serving personnel, their families and the veteran community. The
necessity to align the training with technological advancements to harness the
innovation potential of the Indian defence industry was also emphasised. The
senior leadership reviewed the progress made on the ongoing transformative
initiatives and future thrust areas were identified. The Commanders expressed
their satisfaction with the steady pace of achieving ‘Atmanirbharta’ in line
with the national resolve.
Key
Takeaways
v Organisational
and procedural transformation will be undertaken to ensure induction/
absorption of niche technology towards futuristic Capability Development with a
focus on Atmanirbharta. Towards this, the innovation potential of Army Design
Bureau will be upscaled besides Army Design Bureau Cells being established at
Command Headquarters. This is aimed at empowering Command Headquarters,
formations and unit commanders in facilitating greater outreach to the industry
and identification/ trials of niche technology.
v To
further bolster the initiative, option of creating a separate Fund Head will be
explored. In addition, test bed brigades/ formations will be nominated to
ensure greater efficiency and continuity in trials and finalisation of trial
reports. Moreover, to ensure lifetime support, future procurements will include
aspects catering for holistic sustenance requirements during contract
finalisation stage.
v More
opportunities to collaborate with other ministries will be explored, to
optimally utilise resources and synergise efforts for enhanced capability
building and infrastructure development in border areas.
v Human
Resource Management policies will be revised and attuned to facilitate
absorption of niche technology with matching training infrastructure. The
revised policy will be more innovative towards meeting the requirements of a
tech-enabled future-ready Indian Army.
v To
ensure realistic wargame and training, feasibility of creating a tailor-made
organisation to function as Adversarial Force will be explored.