It is my honour and privilege to pay tributes and homage to the Kargil Warriors as India celebrates the 26th anniversary of the Kargil War (codenamed Operation Vijay). This war of 1999 still remains itched in the conscience of the citizens and continues to inspire a generation of Indians. This solemn occasion commemorates the valour, bravery, tenacity and gallant action of the Indian Army against Pakistani intruders in the most challenging combat conditions. More importantly, the victory of India against Pakistan ushered the rise of a strong nation and Bharat entered 21st century with courage, conviction and assertion among the comity of the nations.
While a whole generation of Indians are aware of the famous battles at Dras, Batalik, Mushkoh, Tololing, Kaksar and Turtok, it is behind the scenes defence reforms ushered by Prime Minister Vajpayee government that today India is in a position to force Pakistan into submission in less than four days during Operation Sindoor. During the Kargil war that took place from 3 May 1999 to 26 July 1999 war, 527 brave Indian soldiers made the supreme sacrifice and 1363 soldiers were wounded in fierce fighting. The Indian Army repelled the last consignment of Pakistani intruders on July 26, 1999 and thus, July 26 is celebrated as Vijay Diwas by a grateful nation to commemorate this outstanding military victory.
The NDA government headed by PM Vajpayee displayed unparalleled foresight and great wisdom to analyse the Kargil War. As a result, Kargil Review Committee (KRC) was set up by the government on July 29, 1999 itself. The key lessons and suggestions from the conflict came out from the committee headed by brilliant strategist K. Subrahmanyam. It is to the credit of this committee that report was submitted to the government in less than six months on 7 January 2000. The strategic recommendations of the KRC have shaped the current force structure, organisation and equipping profile of the Indian Armed Forces.
The committee noted the deficiencies in intelligence collection and procedural information sharing. Based on the recommendation of the KRC, the Multi Agency Centre (MAC) was created in December 2001. MAC now coordinates intelligence between numerous agencies, different ministries and even with the state intelligence agencies. At the state level, Subsidiary MACs have been established. At the tri-service level, creation of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) in March 2002 was a major defence reform. DIA now has successfully coordinated military intelligence for the Indian armed forces. MAC has now been upgraded with the latest futuristic capabilities at a cost of Rs. 500 crores. The facility was dedicated to the nation in May 2025 by Shri Amit Shah, the Home Minister.
The Kargil War also brought out the deficiencies in the human resource management in the Armed Forces. As a result, Ajai Vikram Singh Committee (AVSC) was set up to examine the HR issues for the officers. One major problem was higher age of the commanding officers (COs) involved in the conflict. The length of service of a CO was reduced to 15 years so that they could physically lead the troops in combat. Vajpayee government was sensitive to the needs of the soldiers too. They too were granted assured career progression to meet their aspirations. Based on the recommendations of AVSC report, faster assured career progression for officers happened from the year 2005 onwards. I was fortunate to drive the change in the human resource policies whilst being posted in the prestigious Military Secretary Branch of the Indian Army which looks after the career management of the officer cadre.
The committee also recommended changes in the Defence Procurement Policy (DPP). It was revised in the year 2002 but somehow the policy did not ensure timely and efficient procurement of military equipment and systems for the armed forces. It was under PM Modi government that a more pragmatic DPP was issued in the year 2016. The latest policy is called Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) which was approved in the year 2020. The major change is emergency procurement powers to the Vice Chiefs of three services. The respective services have utilised this important provision to procure the military hardware for emergent needs. The DAP is being further simplified to ensure maximum equipment readiness of the Indian armed forces.
The most complex recommendation of the KRC was related to the creation of the appointment of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). After much deliberations, PM Modi approved the approved of the CDS and the country saw General Bipin Rawat as the first CDS on 1 January 2020. At the same time, Ministry of Defence (MoD) saw a major reform when Department of Military Affairs (DMA) was created and put under the command of the CDS. Thus, the operational matters are dealt by the CDS in consultation with three service chiefs. Today MoD is able to take timely, decisive action both during peacetime and during warlike situations.
One major recommendation of the KRC which is still pending is creation of Integrated Theatre Commands (ITCs). ITCs aim to restructure the armed forces into unified commands based on geographic or functional requirement. The resources of Army, Navy and Air Force are planned to be integrated to speed up decision making and enhance combat effectiveness. In the last five years, a lot of ground towards synergy and jointness between three services has been covered. A glimpse of such synergy was amply visible during Operation Sindoor and the DG of Military operations of Army, Navy and Air Force briefed the media. Moreover, India inflicted a most outstanding military victory over Pakistan by not even crossing the border and Line of Control.
But a time has also come to prepare a generation of politicians more attuned to matters military. The ongoing friction over why President Trump announced ceasefire during Operation Sindoor and the losses of fighter aircraft only shows the lack of strategic understanding at some level. Information Warfare is an important component of modern conflicts and it is easy to lose the war of narratives against our adversaries, if our opinion makers get carried away for narrow political gains. It is important for our country to build the correct unified public opinion whenever the national security is concerned.
To conclude, the Kargil war has been the harbinger of noteworthy defence reforms process in India based on the spirit of KRC recommendations, in the last 25 years. A confident MoD even announced nine reforms as part of Defence Reforms 2025 on 1 January 2025. Now the focus of the Modi government is to become fully self-reliant in military hardware. Our Made in India military hardware and new systems gave an exemplary account during Operation Sindoor. The ongoing reforms have taken a 360-degree view of national security, from the soldier to satellite. The most befitting tribute to the Kargil warriors would be for all Indians to think alike and act with a uniformed spirit, with whole of nation approach at their heart. Jai Bharat!
