"Reform is a continuous process, the success of which depends on effective implementation." Examine this in the context of defence reforms, including theatre commands.

Defence reform is a cycle of review, restructuring and doctrine, not a one-time event. When releasing the Land Warfare Doctrine (Oct 2026), the Raksha Mantri called reform a continuous process that must deliver tangible operational benefits down to every echelon [1]. India's record largely bears this out.

Reform as a continuous process

• Long gestation: a 2001 Group of Ministers recommended a Chief of Defence Staff. The post and the Department of Military Affairs came only in December 2019 [2].
• Successive waves: MoD declared 2025 the 'Year of Reforms' to build multi-domain capability and help set up Integrated Theatre Commands [3].
• Doctrinal updating: eight new Joint Doctrines/Manuals and the Defence Procurement Manual 2025 were issued in 2025 [4]. The Army's Land Warfare Doctrine followed [1].

Implementation decides success

• Theatre commands pending: only 29% of deliverables and 35% of Joint Doctrines were complete by end-2025. Full theaterisation remains unfinished [4].
• Sequencing risk: an Army-only doctrine written before joint structures exist may force theatre commands to fit around service choices instead of leading them.
• Partial past reforms: after the Shekatkar Committee, MoD approved 65 Army-related recommendations with a December 2019 deadline. Gains came mainly from trimming support units, such as closing military farms [5].
• Fiscal mismatch: Army modernisation got only about 8% of the Army's budget in 2022-23. The Standing Committee's ideal revenue-to-capital ratio is 60:40 [6].
• Positive evidence: where it was carried out, jointness worked. Operation Sindoor's success was credited to synergy, coordination and advanced weaponry [1].

Way forward

• A public, time-bound roadmap for theatre commands from the CDS and DMA.
• Multi-year capital budgeting to sustain the 20–30 year planning horizon [1].
• Annual parliamentary tracking of reform milestones against fixed deadlines.

India's defence reforms have advanced steadily in design, but their payoff depends on execution at unit and joint levels. Aligning service doctrines with theatre commands, funding modernisation and monitoring outcomes will turn announcements into capability. That would deliver the "tangible operational benefits" the Raksha Mantri sought and a future-ready force that safeguards national sovereignty and integrity.