Future Warfare Fund set up within the armed forces: Parliamentary panel on defence

New Delhi: A parliamentary panel has said it has learnt from the Ministry of Defence that a Future Warfare Fund has been instituted within the armed forces while an analysis group is also proposed to be set up for studying future technologies and their impact.

The Standing Committee on Defence, chaired by BJP MP Radha Mohan Singh, in its report, also said that deliberations on reorganising the armed forces into integrated theatre commands are in progress and currently being examined at various levels before finalising an optimal organisational structure to meet the operational requirements.

The ministry has also apprised the panel that theaterisation being a trailblazing reform, a large number of complex issues which have a direct bearing on the proposed force structure require to be "addressed comprehensively".

The 'Seventh Report on Demands for Grants of the Ministry of Defence for the year 2025-26 on General Defence Budget, Border Roads Organisation, Indian Coast Guard, Defence Estates Organisation, Welfare of Ex-Servicemen and Defence Research and Development Organisation (Demand Nos. 19, 20 and 21)', was presented in Parliament on Monday.

The total outlay for the Ministry of Defence for Budget Estimates 2025-26 is Rs 6,81,210.27 crore and amounts to approximately 13.45 per cent of the total expenditure of the Government of India (Rs 50.65 lakh crore), which is the highest among ministries.

The committee, in its report, said that it has learned from the ministry's submission that a Future Warfare Fund has also been set up within the armed forces. A Future Analysis Group, for studying future technologies and their impact, is also proposed to be set up.

The panel said it appreciates the proactive efforts of the ministry in analysing, recognising and adopting emerging technologies of warfare, and recommends that adequate budgetary provisions for research and development in this direction be made available to the armed forces.

Taking into account the competent growth of the defence budget in recent years, the committee also recommend that, if needed, the ministry may be allocated additional funds at the revised estimates stage so that "combat preparedness of our forces constantly remains at an optimum level".

The defence minister, all three Service chiefs as well as the Chief of the Defence Staff have in the past few years emphasised the future readiness of the Indian armed forces in the light of changing nature of warfare.

The Committee said it has been given to understand that there are a total of 17 single service commands in the Indian Armed Forces.

"As per the submission of the Ministry of Defence, no proposal is currently being progressed to expand the existing commands of the Armed Forces," the panel said in its report.

The ministry has further submitted that the integrated theatre commands will facilitate better coordination and integrated application of force which will enhance operational efficiency and optimise resource utilisation, the report said.

"It would also aid in the creation and integration of new war-fighting capabilities and faster assimilation of future technology and tactics. The concept of theaterisation seeks to mitigate the shortcomings of single service operations and support modern warfighting," the panel added.

The committee said it has desired to be apprised about the strategic operational preparedness of the defence forces in view of the present security scenario and conceived threat perception.

The ministry, in its written reply, said, "Necessary measures have been undertaken for capability enhancement to counter emerging trends of warfare. Own warfighting philosophy has been evolving to face newer challenges with adequate emphasis on force modernisation and augmentation of resources. Operational preparedness of the Indian armed forces spans across the spectrum of conflict."

The ministry was further asked about the emerging trends in conventional and non-conventional threats, both external and internal in nature and "our preparedness" to contain those threat perceptions in a more effective manner within the available resources.

"India has been significantly enhancing combat capabilities in all three dimensions of land, sea and air as well as cyber and space.

"The significance of data-centric warfare, role of AI and other emerging technologies has been understood towards operational preparedness and being acted upon through accretion of capability," the ministry told the panel.

To a pointed query of the committee as to whether the sanctioned strength of the critical weapons or equipment or platforms for the forces is being reconsidered in view of the current security scenario, the ministry replied that the scaling and procurement of critical weapons or equipment or platforms for the armed forces is carried out as per operational requirements.

The committee said it is not oblivious to the fact that the budget to be spent on modernisation cannot be predicted to a large extent, and accordingly, they feel that it is crucial to have intensive study and knowledge of emerging trends in technology that will have an impact on war and the art of warfare.