Reimagining Firepower in Age of Precision Strikes

 Armies stand at an inflection point where capacity to degrade and destroy has changed. The nature of firepower itself is being redefined before our eyes. Today, we need to reimagine what precision firepower means for our doctrine – operational planning - training for the next conflict. 

Four capabilities have changed everything: precision strike, persistent ISR, networked command, unmanned systems. Artillery's old identity—support function—is obsolete. Gunners new focus is to be precision interdiction. Ability to coordinate fires across all platforms, concentrate mass effect where it matters. Win decisive battles through responsive effective firepower. To achieve that Indian Artillery must debate and adapt. 

Application of firepower has evolved. Non-contact kinetic has been the traditional method of the gunners, only the scales and formats are changing. While traditionally guns have represented as basic means of delivery of firepower, an exercise that tested logisticians - newer weapons have joined the arsenal. 

The war in Ukraine and in the middle east has brought precision strikes into center stage. ISR has improved in range and accuracy. Modern warfare demands precision depth strikes, strikes that take on specific combat elements or key leaders or weapon system or support echelons. Operation Sindoor demonstrated that precision engagement—the marriage of accuracy with discriminate targeting—achieves effects that volume of fire cannot. This is not replacing the gunner's art; it is elevating it – from mass to precision. Today, India’s Pinaka systems with precision ammunition, BrahMos cruise missiles, and advancing ballistic missile accuracy are proving it is not how many guns you have, but how precisely and swiftly you apply them. In all this we now have the added disruptor or force multiplier that has shaped recent battle outcomes – the drones. It has abilities to be a perfect precision strike weapon from tactical to strategic targets. It is getting attention of the gunners like never before. 

It is time for gunners to re-imagine what is going to be the format of application of firepower in the next war. The challenge is not whether precision will dominate—it will. The challenge is: How to institutionalize this shift? What organizational structure tweaking is needed? Incremental changes have started, but are they enough – are they fast enough? What further changes to training, doctrine, and force composition are required? We are sure, for next war we won’t look for just number of fire-units to support ops of mechanized forces or infantry – much more is expected. Infantry and Mechanised formations soldiers are looking at gunners to imagine the next war and how firepower will ensure that victory will be achieved with minimum ground attrition. This is not about replacing the gun—it is about redefining firepower. The professional expertise, judgment, and tactical acumen will be tested in a precision-centric battlefield.

Over the coming months, we will expect debates and actions on

• Force structure implications for a precision-dominant artillery

• Doctrinal changes in application of firepower

• Training paradigms that marry traditional artillery mastery with precision operations

• Technology insertion roadmaps (guns, rockets, missiles, UAS coordination)

This is gunners mandate. This is gunners challenge. This is gunners opportunity.

Roopesh Mehta

02 Dec 25


………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………


Views are personal and just to ignite debate and exchange of thoughts. Nothing official about it


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to break the L1 Syndrome in Defence Procurement

  Defence procurement suffer from L1 syndrome. Moving to L1T1 has simply not taken off. Sharing an idea to seek comments on process improvement to make it happen. Driving Theme. 1. Induction of niche and superior technologies must be a cornerstone of defence procurement. Opportunities for such induction must be explored at every stage of the procurement lifecycle. 2. However, this must be achieved without compromising due process, fairness, and cost-efficiency. Public funds must be spent with transparency and accountability. Framework. To operationalise this, structured mechanisms such as a Technology Evaluation Team (TET) and an Independent Technical Audit Panel (TAP) could be instituted. These bodies would: 1. Assess technological merit and innovation for suitability for concerned procurement case. 2. Guide capability benchmarking. Recommend justified financial or commercial incentives for superior technologies. Their findings should carry an institutional “seal of approval” tha...
Read more

Indian Defence Budget: More – the question is when?

Image
  The eternal debate is about the wasteful expenditure nations make on defence. Expenditure that could have better used for improve the quality of life of the citizens. Countries like India on a developmental path, need to focus first on building core capacities to improve the HDI or Per Capita scores . This is reflected by steady decline in percentage terms on Defence allocation, though absolute numbers have kept increasing , reaping benefits of a growing economy. However, last few years have brought threat of a war closer to home. This needs closer attention by the strategic planners.  In the overall security matrix, India must maintain overwhelming superiority over Pakistan to ensure credible deterrence. Only then can we begin to approach the level of capability needed to dissuade or match China. It is evident that much remains to be done—and India must commit to a decade-long mission to achieve this strategic objective. Past few months have confirmed two realities; one we ...
Read more

Review of DAP 2020 : Primer

The Year of Defence Reforms, as announced by the Raksha Mantri on 01 Jan 2025, laid out nine pillars of focused reforms. The fourth pillar highlighted that “ acquisition procedures need to be made simpler and time-sensitive to facilitate swifter and robust capability development. ”   The essence is to speed up capability development of the forces by having an agile acquisition process. Recent global wars and closer home Operation Sindoor and the aftermath have only made the reform more urgent. The character of warfare has undergone a rapid change or near total transformation. Conflicts over the past three years have tested the most advanced systems, forcing legacy platforms—many in service since World War II—to either reinvent themselves or risk irrelevance. The traditional method of enhancing military capability by upgrading standard platforms like tanks, artillery, ICVs, and rockets is being overtaken by the need to rethink platforms, tactics, and structures from the gr...
Read more