When General Upendra Dwivedi took over as the 30th Chief of the Army Staff on June 30, 2024, the Indian Army was an institution in transition – strong in tradition, capable in combat, yet still catching up with the speed at which modern warfare was evolving. Two years later, as he prepares to hand over the baton to his successor, Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth, the force he leaves behind is measurably different in doctrine, structure, technology and strategic ambition.
His tenure saw the Indian Army’s drone inventory grow from a few hundred to more than 50,000 – a figure expected to double again within two to three years, according to defence sources. The scale of that transformation has earned him a lasting epithet inside military corridors.
General Dwivedi has come to be known within military circles as the “Drone General,” a title reflecting the scale of the transformation overseen during his tenure. It is a designation that speaks to something deeper than numbers: a wholesale shift in how India’s army thinks about war.
A Force Rebuilt From the Ground Up
More than 25 Drone and Counter-Drone Hubs have been established across military stations during his tenure, providing the infrastructure for large-scale induction, training and operational employment of unmanned systems. Precision engagement and surveillance capabilities have also been extended, with systems now capable of operating at distances approaching 500 kilometres.
General Dwivedi’s tenure saw the Indian Army’s drone inventory grow from a few hundred to more than 50,000 – a figure expected to double again within two to three years
Alongside the drones came new battle formations designed for speed, integration and lethality. New formations including Bhairav Battalions, Ashni Platoons, Rudra All Arms Brigades, Shaktibaan Regiments and Divyastra Batteries were created during this period, alongside the continued evolution of Integrated Battle Groups. These are not merely reorganisational tweaks – they represent a philosophical break from the Cold War-era structures that the Army had long maintained, moving instead towards agile, multi-domain tactical units capable of thinking and striking across land, air, cyber and electronic warfare domains simultaneously.
Operation Sindoor: The Crucible
No assessment of General Dwivedi’s tenure can ignore Operation Sindoor, the military operation conducted in May 2025 that became both a test and a validation of the reforms he was midwifing. The transformation was tested operationally during Operation Sindoor, which involved the coordinated use of drones, loitering munitions, electronic warfare and real-time intelligence fusion. The operation is increasingly cited within strategic circles as a template for India’s future approach to warfare.
General Dwivedi championed a philosophical break from the Cold War-era structures that the Army had long maintained, moving instead towards agile, multi-domain tactical units capable of thinking and striking across land, air, cyber and electronic warfare domains simultaneously
The effective employment of indigenous drones and loitering munitions during Operation Sindoor reinforced confidence in home-grown technologies and highlighted the importance of Aatmanirbharta. For General Dwivedi, the operation was proof of a principle he had articulated early in his tenure – that India’s security could no longer depend on foreign supply chains for critical battlefield systems.
Operation Sindoor saw the first-ever use of cruise and long-range missiles between India and Pakistan, alongside a full-scale drone war, with India responding effectively with indigenous and Israeli-made systems while Pakistan deployed drones ranging from basic models to sophisticated Turkish and Chinese-sourced platforms. The lessons were absorbed rapidly. Insights gained from Operation Sindoor drove a renewed focus on enhancing combat capability, including the large-scale induction of drones, missiles and air-defence weapons.
The Doctrine of Drones as Consumables
General Dwivedi drew explicit lessons from Ukraine’s experience of drone warfare, and applied them to India’s own procurement and production philosophy. Ukraine increased UAV output from very small numbers in 2022 to around 2.2 million drones in 2024, with estimates of over 4.5 million in 2025. For the Indian Army, the first lesson was that drones are now consumables as much as platforms – they will be lost in large numbers due to jamming, air defence, electronic warfare and battlefield attrition. Therefore, the need is for depth in inventory, modular designs, rapid repair chains and assured component supply.
The effective employment of indigenous drones and loitering munitions during Operation Sindoor reinforced confidence in home-grown technologies and highlighted the importance of Aatmanirbharta. For General Dwivedi, the operation was proof of a principle he had articulated early in his tenure – that India’s security could no longer depend on foreign supply chains for critical battlefield systems
Priorities include high-altitude surveillance drones for the northern borders, tactical quadcopters and micro-UAVs for infantry units, logistics drones for difficult terrain, loitering munitions for precision strikes, swarm drones, AI-enabled autonomous platforms, counter-drone systems, electronic warfare solutions and secure communication links. The aim is to make every soldier more technology-aware and eventually drone-capable, so that unmanned systems become a routine part of battlefield functioning.
Self-Reliance, New Doctrines and Diplomacy
Nearly all special clothing requirements and a substantial proportion of ammunition needs of the India Army are now sourced domestically, the result of partnerships between the Army, DRDO, private industry, start-ups and academic institutions aimed at developing indigenous drones, counter-drone systems and AI-enabled battlefield technologies.
The intellectual architecture was reinforced with equal rigour. Nearly 25 doctrines, strategic guidelines and policy documents were issued during General Dwivedi’s tenure, covering land warfare, strategic security, red teaming and emerging domains such as space.
General Dwivedi summed up the Army’s transformation goal as building “a different Indian Army – capable of thinking smart, seeing all, striking deep, moving fast, connecting domains, standing resilient and, most importantly, winning together”
Diplomacy too was recast. The Army hosted the UNTCC Chiefs Conclave, attended by chiefs and representatives from 32 countries, and launched the “Friends for Life” digital platform, which has connected nearly 100,000 alumni of Indian military training institutions worldwide. Nearly 100 dual-use infrastructure projects were also launched in collaboration with various ministries, aimed at improving both military preparedness and civilian connectivity, while the National Cadet Corps was expanded by nearly 20 per cent.
A Transformed Institution
Theaterisation is not merely an organisational reform; it is an operational necessity for the future battlefield, General Dwivedi said in one of his final interviews – words that frame both the work completed and the work still ahead. The theatre command structure remains in its final stages, a task that will fall to his successor to complete.
General Dwivedi summed up the Army’s transformation goal as building “a different Indian Army – capable of thinking smart, seeing all, striking deep, moving fast, connecting domains, standing resilient and, most importantly, winning together”. When the General removes his uniform on June 30, there will be little doubt that the Army he hands over is measurably closer to that vision than the one he inherited.
-The writer is a New Delhi-based senior commentator on international and strategic affairs, environmental issues, an interfaith practitioner, and a media consultant. The views expressed are personal and do not necessarily carry the views of Raksha Anirveda
