Modernisation of War Fighting Means & The Indian Brain Freeze

In the land of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, with scholars like Chanakya who had great knowledge on war fighting strategy, we as a nation have been found wanting and often fall way short of intelligent ideas. We the nation who brought in the zero and the decimal system, the value of pi, algebra and trigonometry. The land of ayurveda and plastic surgery including rhinoplasty. Yoga and the domestication of crops, we brought in indigo and jute. The Vaisheshika school of atomism was founded in ancient India during the 1st millennium BCE. The Iron Pillar of Delhi, erected during the Gupta dynasty, showcases ancient Indian metallurgy. We used horse drawn chariots and elephants for mobility during war. Our ancient drawings on temple walls speak of space travels and air planes, even before the west could dream of it.

Today we are de-capacitated. We missed the bus on the new tool of warfare that is AI. While the US and the Chinese have gone deep into it and already have programmed themselves to extricate value from whatever they are building. We seem to just be copying and pasting and finding the method of jugaad to make it relevant to an Indian context.

The first tool of war was the rock, then they designed a pointed rock and added it to a stick and called it a spear. Then came the bow and the arrow, followed by shields for self protection. Slowly came the swords and the chariots for mobility. War became lethal and a product of mass destruction. Hand to hand battles were tiresome, the cost of war huge, not due to death of soldiers but due to logistics and maintenance of soldiers with injury. They became a burden for society. Then came the catapults (war and destruction from a distance). The cavalry charges from the flanks. The flexibility brought in deception in application of forces and an element of surprise. But the man was still vulnerable, personal armour was heavy and restricted mobility. Then came the artillery guns and the concept of infantry charges to 80% casualty and death reduced by provision of firepower, mobility, shock action and protection vide the tanks that moved ahead in battle. Whilst the skies saw aerial movement in aircraft of all kinds, bombers, precision guided weapon systems, reconnaissance aircraft, troop carrying aircraft etc. The seas had naval vessels, with under sea capability through submarines and over sea capabilities through aircraft carriers. The computers and the cyber space suddenly erupted with the cheapest and most deadly war tool. The virus, where everything was exposed and made vulnerable. War became a media tool. Propaganda and fake news extensively used to run narratives. From battle fields to a shanty dark hut in an isolated corner, non traceable, non attributable and with the ability to leave no traces.

But the war for effect that supports governments and power houses had to have visibility. After all men like machines and destruction of assets. The cyber warfare as a tool was applied seamlessly to build the grounds for a contact battle. After all war is all about sustenance and that needs money. The weapon producing nations cannot have a world without war. The highest income generating industry is the defence industry. Millions employed to generate tools that kill humans on the pretext of keeping nations secure. THERFORE WAR IS INEVITABLE.

Then came the dimensions of a cheaper option. Unmanned, easy to operate and deadly, the drones. On the battlefield it’s akin to a video game on the PS 5. You find, you follow, you expose, you destroy. All from a random corner of the world. Even if you lose the drone, it doesn’t matter cause the cost is minuscule but the effect huge.

But somehow in the entire process of development and indigenisation we have become like the Chinese, the masters of cut, copy and produce. We have lost the very essence of generating own tools of war. Going for rather conventional platforms which the west advocates as essential and critical. There are today hundreds of drone companies in India, including numerous startups. The Drone Federation of India estimates that over 50 companies are involved in manufacturing drone components. So it’s the age of the drones, there’s a wild rush, cause Indians and money are inseparable. Milk the cow before the cow loses its potential to produce milk.

The budgetary allocation to Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is Rs 26,816.82 crore in FY 2025-26. The private sectors have their own budget. While China's official government sponsored expenditure on Research and Experimental Development (R&D) Exceeded 3.6 Trillion Yuan in 2024, that is 4,27,90,96,80,00,000.00 Indian Rupees. In 2024, global military expenditure reached $2.718 trillion, a 9.4% increase from the previous year. The top five military spenders (US, China, Russia, Germany, and India) accounted for 60% of this total, with a combined spending of $1.635 trillion.

The Indian government research agencies do not even get the best talent. Cause the best have greater plans with bigger money. The land of the Arthashastra today is devoid of imagining. Why can’t we start building sound based weapon systems, that temporarily de-capacitates. LASER beaming weapon systems to take the war into space, better than a nuclear deterrent, with no mass casualties. Concentrated light beams that cause temporary blindness. Micro organisms that can destroy war based infrastructure, without being contagious and can be controlled. Robotics, making the first step of attrition warfare less brutal on humanity. Even light and contemporary armour and assessment tools that a soldier can wear to stay alive. (Take a look at our soldiers, the heavy billet proofs, the unwieldy helmets, the non mine protected boots).

As a nation we need to get back to the drawing board and define our own tools of warfare. Keep the enemy guessing, what we might come up with in good time. Non tamper-able, non jam-able, easily applicable and seamlessly adaptable to all kinds of warfare. Below thresholds, above thresholds, to be used in areas and time of own choosing.