Subhechcha Ganguly 
Old connections have given way to “no limits” relationships as the senior military leaders gather in Bhopal for the next three days. As a result, the Indian military must shed its cold war and colonial attitude and develop new doctrines. This Saturday in Bhopal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver his final address to the Combined Commanders Conference before he and the BJP leadership completely enter political gear for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Beginning on March 30, the three-day meeting will be attended by officers with the rank of Commander-in-Chief or above.
The meeting takes place when the world is in turmoil due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, growing rapprochement between Russia and China, China’s pursuit of its self-declared “One China” policy, and a rise in religious extremism that is feeding the terror industry new blood. It is imperative that the Indian military commanders, many of whom are still deeply ingrained in Cold War ideologies, are brought up to speed on the swift geopolitical shifts taking place, in which long-standing friendships have all but vanished and new alliances are being formed to combat China’s aggressive dictatorship.After May 5, 2020’s Chinese incursions in East Ladakh, the Indian military has successfully resisted the PLA challenge along the 3488 km Line of Actual Control (LAC). However, the tri-services leadership needs to shed its colonial bureaucratic mindset and concentrate solely on its warfighting capabilities. It must work in concert with the introduction of autonomous weaponry, robots, and artificial intelligence since they will determine who prevails in future conflicts. The military leadership must keep its attention on what is best for India rather than becoming sidetracked by global narratives created by either the Anglo-Saxon west or the détente between Russia and China.
