Transformation of the Indian Army in the New World Order

Abstract

The security strategy of a nation is based on harnessing the cumulative strength of its various instruments of national power. These, amongst others, include the economy, diplomacy, information and military. Nations periodically undertake the necessary transformation of their armed forces in order to optimise their potential. “Transformation is a process that shapes the changing nature of military competition and cooperation through a new combination of concepts, capabilities, people, and organisations that exploits the nation's advantage and protects against asymmetric vulnerabilities to sustain the strategic position, which helps underpin peace and stability in the world. Transformation anticipates and creates the future and deals with the co-evolution of concepts, processes, organisation, and technology.” It is, however, important that “military transformation” should simply be understood to mean “profound change” in military affairs.1 It need not imply rapid or across-the-board change, nor the discarding of that which continues to work well. The changes, however, should be dramatic rather than mere improvements on the margins to existing military hardware or processes.