Army chief charts three-phase plan to build future-ready force by 2047

Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi on Thursday (November 27, 2025) unveiled a comprehensive three-phase road map to transform the Army into an integrated, future-ready force by 2047.

Speaking at the Chanakya Defence Dialogue 2025, he said the plan aligns closely with the national vision of Viksit Bharat and the government’s broader push for reforms and technological advancement.

General Dwivedi said the first phase, stretching to 2032, forms the backbone of a “decade of transformation”, driving accelerated transitions in capability development, force structure and operational readiness. The second phase, till 2037, focuses on consolidating gains achieved during the transformational decade. The third and final phase envisions a leap toward a fully integrated force design by 2047, equipped for next-generation warfare.

Highlighting the operational dividends of the ongoing reforms, the Army chief cited Operation Sindoor as a clear demonstration of how structural readiness and modernisation translate into decisive battlefield outcomes. He added that the Defence Minister’s decision to designate 2025 as the “Year of Reforms” has provided renewed momentum to the Army’s modernisation pathway.

Four springboards

General Dwivedi listed four key “springboards” for India’s military evolution. Self-reliance (Atma Nirbharta) or empowerment through indigenisation (Swadeshikaran Se Sashaktikaran) remains the foundational pillar, with visible gains in defence manufacturing, space capability, and indigenous technology absorption. Anusandhan or accelerated innovation through platforms like iDEX and ADITI, must now shift from experimentation to enterprise-level impact in artificial intelligence, cyber, quantum and autonomous systems.

The third pillar, adaptation (Anukulan), emphasises adapting to and reforming the larger ecosystem, while the fourth — integration (Ekikaran) — calls for deeper military-civil fusion, underscoring the need for synergy among academia, industry and the armed forces.

Reflecting on the global security landscape, General Dwivedi said the world had shifted from Cold War bipolarity to a fractured, conflict-heavy order. In such turbulent times, he said, India’s military transformation must be guided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 5S framework — samman (respect), samvad (dialogue), sayog (cooperation), samridhi (prosperity), and suraksha (security) — to navigate the Amrit Kal towards a secure and prosperous Viksit Bharat.