Defence Forces Vision 2047

Syllabus: GS3/ Defence

Context

• The Minister of Defence released the document “Defence Forces Vision 2047: A Roadmap for a Future-Ready Indian Military”, prepared by the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff.

Objectives of Defence Forces Vision 2047

• Future Warfare Preparedness: The vision emphasises preparing the military for multi-domain warfare, including cyber, space, artificial intelligence and information warfare.
• Alignment with National Development Goals: The transformation of defence capabilities is linked with India’s broader objective of becoming a developed nation by 2047.

Key Features of the Roadmap

• Integrated and Multi-Domain Military: The vision proposes developing an integrated and agile military structure capable of conducting operations across land, sea, air, cyber and space domains.
  • Enhanced joint operational planning among the three services will improve efficiency and response capabilities.
• Greater Jointness among the Services: A core pillar is enhanced jointness and synergy among the Army, Navy and Air Force.
  • Improved coordination in planning, operations and capability development is expected to increase operational efficiency.
• Strengthening Self-Reliance in Defence: The roadmap supports the government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative in defence manufacturing.
• Technological Advancement: It proposes the greater use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, cyber capabilities and advanced surveillance tools.
• Phased Implementation: The roadmap outlines a phased approach, identifying short-term, mid-term and long-term priorities for building critical military capabilities.

Recent Steps Taken by India

• Creation of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and Department of Military Affairs: The appointment of the CDS aims to promote jointness in operations, procurement and training.
  • The Department of Military Affairs (DMA) was created under the Ministry of Defence and is headed by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
• Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020: It promotes indigenous design, development & manufacturing, prioritises “Make in India” categories.
• Defence Industrial Corridors & Indigenous Production Push: Two defence industrial corridors have been established in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh to bolster its defence manufacturing ecosystem and promote domestic defence production.
• Integrated Theatre Commands (ITCs): Push to restructure command structure so that Army, Navy, Air Force in a region operate under unified command.
  • It is part of the “jointness” agenda to avoid duplication and improve responsiveness.

Challenges

• Limited Defence Budget: India’s defence modernisation is constrained by budgetary limitations, with defence spending remaining around 2–2.5% of GDP in recent years.
• Weak Integration in Technology: Integration of communication systems, intelligence networks and digital battlefield technologies remains limited.

Concluding remarks

• The Defence Forces Vision 2047 represents a major attempt to restructure India’s military for future warfare characterised by multi-domain operations, emerging technologies and complex geopolitical threats. 
• However, the success of the roadmap will depend on overcoming institutional resistance, capability gaps and resource constraints, while strengthening jointness, technological innovation and self-reliance to build a future-ready armed force by 2047.

Source: DD NEWS