Raj Shukla on Modernizing India’s Armed Forces and Defense Industry

Interpreting India

India's quest for military modernization has been marked by significant reforms in recent years. In this episode, Raj Shukla provides insights into the progress and challenges faced in this transformation. He highlights the importance of technological integration, jointness, and civil-military fusion in strengthening India's deterrence.

The conversation delves into the need for a comprehensive national security makeover, emphasizing reforms like integrated theater commands, and a cultural transformation in civil-military relations. Shukla also discusses the impact of geopolitical shifts, particularly the rise of China, on India's strategic imperatives.

How have reforms fared over the past ten years? What is the way forward for defense industry, tri-service jointness, and civil-military relations? Does India’s nuclear posture need a rethink? Does it need to raise new forces in the emerging domains of space and cyber?

Episode Contributors

Raj Shukla is a member of the Union Public Service Commission, Government of India, and a former general officer commanding in chief of the Indian Army's Army Training Command (ARTRAC). With over four decades of distinguished service, he has a deep interest in strategic military affairs and is a distinguished fellow at the Center for Land Warfare Studies.

Yahoo: [e-mail]
YouTube: @LtGenRajShukla
Instagram: @ltgenrajshukla
Twitter: @Gen_Rajshukla
Facebook: @Raj Shukla

Saheb Singh Chadha is a research analyst in the Security Studies Program at Carnegie India. His research focuses on China’s foreign and security policies, India-China relations, and India’s military modernization. He is broadly interested in the geopolitics of South Asia and the Indo-Pacific. He is also a researcher on a project examining the nature and dynamics of cross-border violence and its impact on civilian communities.

Twitter: @SahebSChadha

Additional Readings

The Absent Dialogue: Politicians, Bureaucrats, and the Military in India by Anit Mukherjee

Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacbosen

From Surprise to Reckoning: The Kargil Review Committee Report

What is Shekatkar Report, Defence Ministry’s First Order of Business After Lockdown by Snehesh Alex Phillip

Naresh Chandra Task Force’s Report on National Security: An Appraisal by Nitin Gokhale

MOMENTOUS CHANGES: Defence Reforms, Military Transformation, and India’s New Strategic Posture by Anit Mukherjee, Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, Nishant Rajeev

Striking Asymmetries: Nuclear Transitions in Southern Asia by Ashley J. Tellis

The Real Motives for China’s Nuclear Expansion by Tong Zhao

What Are China’s Nuclear Weapons For? By Ashley J. Tellis; Tong Zhao

Election Rhetoric, Nuclear Weapons and Pakistan — the Need to Expand Debate by C Raja Mohan

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