Shimla : Learning from the Indian Army's recent operational experiences, particularly Operation Sindoor, the Army Training Command (ARTRAC) on Thursday announced a transformative initiative to equip all Indian Army soldiers with drone training by the year 2027.
The announcement was made by Lieutenant General Devendra Sharma, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of ARTRAC, while addressing officers, awardees, and guests at the ARTRAC Investiture Ceremony 2025, held at the Danfe Auditorium in Shimla on.
He later interacted with the media and elaborated on the command's broader vision for a technologically empowered, gender-inclusive, and future-ready Indian Army.
Lt Gen Sharma said that the Indian Army's performance in Operation Sindoor had demonstrated remarkable capabilities, especially in the use of drones. Drawing on those insights, ARTRAC has initiated a roadmap that will make drone operation an integral part of every soldier's training.
"In Operation Sindoor, the Indian Army showcased exceptional capability, particularly through the deployment of drones. Learning from that, we have decided that by 2027, every Indian soldier will be trained in drone operations. Drones will become the 'third arm' of the modern Indian soldier," he said.
The ceremony recognised outstanding achievements in military training, innovation, digital transformation, and financial management during the training year 2023-24. The GOC-in-C Unit Citation was awarded to five distinguished military establishments for their exceptional contributions to enhancing training standards.
These included the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE), Mhow, Combat Army Aviation Training School (CAATS), Nasik, Army Airborne Training School (AATS), Agra, 4 MAHAR (BORDERS), and 118 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army), GRENADIERS. Senior commanders and representatives of these units, including Lt Gen Vivek Dogra, Major General Abhinaya Rai, Col Bheemaiah P.S., Col Utpal Das, and Col Rahulraj B. Alavekar, received the citations alongside their Subedar Majors Halim Ali Khan, Dandu Mabu, Dhan Singh, Jogendra Singh, and Niraj Kumar.
Other awards presented at the ceremony included the Financial Excellence Awards, which were conferred on the Military College of Material Management (MCMM), Jabalpur, the Counter Insurgency Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS), Veirangte, and the Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering (MCEME), Secunderabad.
The e-Office Excellence Awards for promoting paperless digital transformation were given to MCMM, Jabalpur, and the Armoured Corps Centre & School (ACC&S), Ahilyanagar.
Among the senior officers recognised were Lt Gen Sanjay Sethi, Lt Gen Neeraj Varshney, Maj Gen Vikram Varma, and Maj Gen Vinod Nambiar, along with JCOs and NCOs such as Honorary Captain MN Tripathi, Honorary Lieutenant Girish Kumar Pappinisseri, Risaldar Major Gurdev Singh, and Subedar Major Honlong Pansa.
The Technical Excellence Award was presented to officers and JCOs whose innovations directly enhanced operational capabilities.
These included Anuj Chandra Shrivastava from HQ ARTRAC, and officers from MCTE, Mhow, including Abhimanyu Singh, Abhilash Anand, and Amol Jaynad Todkar.
Other recipients included JK Verma from CME, Pune, Captain R. Sushil Kumar Iyer from MCEME, Secunderabad, Subedar Manoj and Naib Subedar Jagdish from MCTE, and Naib Subedar Thakur Singh from EME School, Vadodara.
Additionally, five individuals were awarded the GOC-in-C Spot Commendation Cards for distinguished service. These included Col K. Sundaresh from HQ ARTRAC, Constable Sunita Devi from the Himachal Pradesh Police, Kailash Chand from the CPWD, and Ramesh Chand from the Amateur Dramatics Club, Shimla.
Notably, four of these were civilians, recognised for their collaborative contributions in supporting Army initiatives.
Congratulating all the awardees, Gen Sharma said that these achievements are collective inspiration for Indian army. "Their achievements are not just individual milestones but will serve as a collective inspiration for the entire Indian Army. We hope that their work will encourage others across ARTRAC and beyond," he said.
Declaring 2024-25 as the 'Year of Technology Absorption', Lt Gen Sharma said that ARTRAC had identified 33 niche technologies--including drones, cyber warfare, battlefield artificial intelligence, and electronic warfare systems--for incorporation into Army training.
To institutionalise these capabilities, 14 Centers of Expertise have been established across various training institutions. He said that ARTRAC has set a goal for the complete absorption of these technologies by 2030, backed by an investment of Rs 390 crore over the next five years in infrastructure, research and development, and simulation-based training systems.
As part of this initiative, 18,000 personnel have already been trained in 22 new technologies in the training year 2024-25, with a target to train an additional 12,000 personnel in 21 more technologies during 2025-26.
He cited global conflicts such as the Armenia-Azerbaijan war, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the Israel-Hamas hostilities to illustrate how modern warfare has evolved.
"In all these recent conflicts, the decisive and dominant use of drone technology has stood out. Operation Sindhoor proved that the Indian Army, too, is capable of integrating advanced tools swiftly," he said.
He added that ARTRAC's Centre for Army Lessons Learned had been tasked with studying such conflicts to continuously refine training doctrines, procedures, and syllabus.
Lt Gen Sharma also highlighted ARTRAC's pivotal role in the Indian Army's 'Decade of Transformation', an institutional vision articulated by the Chief of Army Staff.
"We have undertaken 57 initiatives under six transformation pillars--Jointness and Integration, Force Restructuring, Technology Modernisation, Systems and Processes, and Human Resource Management.
In August 2024, we released a Promissory Note outlining short-, medium-, and long-term targets to deliver measurable change across the Army's training ecosystem," he said.
Speaking on gender inclusion, he proudly noted that 1,571 women were currently serving in the Indian Army across all ranks, including command positions. ARTRAC, he said, was fully committed to gender neutrality and had integrated gender sensitisation modules into its training curriculum.
He said training syllabi across 34 categories had been revised to include real-time operational simulations, automation, digitisation, and online examinations.
Gen Sharma also spoke about ARTRAC's evolving strategy to bring in civilian innovation through structured partnerships. "We are pursuing a 'Whole of Nation' approach. Through Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with think tanks, research institutions, universities, and startups, we aim to bring cutting-edge civilian technology into Army application. Technology does not wait--it evolves. Our mission is to stay ahead of the curve," he said.
As the ceremony, the Army Commander reiterated that ARTRAC remains firmly committed to its motto of institutionalised training, innovation, and inclusive leadership, ensuring the Indian Army remains ready for future challenges in an increasingly complex and technology-driven battlefield