Most armies tend to prepare for the last war. The battle-hardened Indian Army has also been traditionally conservative. From the Pakistani incursions into Kashmir in October 1947 to now, the nation’s territorial integrity has often been threatened by inimical neighbours. Forever in battle, the Indian Army has fulfilled its role admirably, in a spirit of valour and sacrifice, fighting several wars as also helping stem insurgency within the country. However, the changing nature of warfare, the emergence of geo-strategic environment, the existential threat from India’s nuclear-armed military adversaries and the danger from terrorism, require a quantum jump in the army’s operational capabilities.
In order to successfully face the new challenges, the army must modernize its weapons and equipment and upgrade its combat potential. Indian Army Vision 2020 spells out precisely how that can be done—it examines the threats and their changing nature, identifies the key operational commitments, makes a comparative analysis of how other modern armies are coping and offers a considerable guide map for a modern fighting force that is light, lethal and wired to meet the operational challenges of the 21st century.
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