By A Correspondent
New Delhi: The Indian Army is serious about raising a ‘Rocket-cum-Missile’ Force of its own to meet the strategic threats posed by similar war formations of arch-rivals China and Pakistan, and to meet the evolving regional security challenges.
At his annual press conference on January 13, 2026, Indian Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi said a Rocket Force had become the need of the hour, as at present the rocket and the missile inventory is deployed by the Artillery Regiment and Air Defence Corps of the Indian Army.
“It is time we also have such a force. We are looking towards a rocket-cum-missile force. Pakistan has established a rocket force, and China has created one,” General Dwivedi said in reply to a question at the press conference.
China today has a potent rocket force in its People’s Liberation Army (PLA), and it has consistently modernised its missiles in the inventory of the PLA Rocket Force since at least 2016.
The Indian Army chief noted that the Indian armed forces too have modernised their long-range strike capabilities, citing the induction of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, Pralay, and Pinaka rockets to boost the firepower.
“Rockets and missiles have become interdependent in today’s time. If we want a major impact, then we need both rockets as well as missiles,” he said. “We have to decide whether it will be (operated) at the Army level or it will be directly under the Ministry of Defence or at the level of CDS (Chief of Defence Staff). This is the question which we need to decide,” he added.
The Army chief said initially, it will be under the Army’s artillery regiments. “It may see a different look in terms of the size, scope, and the command and control in the future,” he said.
Regarding the lessons from Operation Sindoor in May 2025, General Dwivedi said the Army was now focusing on enhancing its combat prowess, including inducting large numbers of drones, missiles, and air defence weapons.
The Army, he said, had on January 13 raised the issue of drone sightings in the Jammu sector over the last three days from the Pakistani side during the weekly hotline call between the Directors General of Military Operations. “Warfighting doctrines are being updated to fine-tune multi-domain operations: ability to succeed in all four quadrants,” he said.
On the structural reforms in the Army, the chief said it was focused on enhancing multi-domain operations’ potency and achieving an optimal “tail-to-teeth” ratio. “We have adopted a spiral development approach centred on organisation rather than equipment alone,” he said.
“We have re-oriented and created several new structures: Rudra Brigades for high-tempo multi-domain operations and Bhairav Battalions for agility and disruptive effect,” he said.
“Similarly, Shaktibaan regiments, and Divyastra batteries of artillery will use Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and counter-UAS for extended reach and real-time targeting,” he said.
The Army chief said Ashni platoons and other units on the design board will enhance precision, surveillance, and strike options at the tactical level.
Highlighting the Army’s focus on enhancing its combat prowess, the General said the focus now is to steadily progress towards a “different Indian Army — capable of thinking smart, seeing all, striking deep, moving fast, connecting domains, standing resilient, and most importantly, winning together.”
“We are progressing towards integrated structures in the form of theatre commands — a deliberate, consultative and well-synchronised process to which the Indian Army is fully committed,” he said.
He said the Army is continuing to refine organisational mechanisms to adopt best practices, improve efficiency, enhance outcomes, and gradually reorient manpower.
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