From 'Paper-Heavy' To AI-Ready: The Indian Army Is Becoming Ready For Future

Last Updated:October 31, 2025, 12:04 IST

This move towards a paperless environment includes SAAMARTH, a centralised application for all HR management, and ASAAN, a system to handle Agniveer administration.

In this image from the May edition of Indian Army's monthly magazine 'Baatcheet', top military commanders monitor 'Operation Sindoor' live. (PTI)

When a senior Indian Army officer was asked on competitor threat in the field of technology and especially AI from countries like China, he simply said that instead of getting drawn into a “cat and mouse game" of perceptions and “psyops", the Indian Army is insulating its core systems by building them from the ground up. He, in fact, gave an example of indegenous technology employed during Operation Sindoor and how it helped the on-ground soldiers up till the commanders to understand the situation on ground.

A shift is underway in the Indian Army. The long-held vision of transforming from a “network-centric" to a “data-centric" force is no longer a future-facing slide in a presentation; it has become a battlefield reality, proven under operational conditions.

While public attention goes to advanced combat platforms, experts confirm that a more profound revolution is quietly reshaping the entire military enterprise. The most meaningful change is happening in the back office.

The Army is actively breaking down old, inefficient administrative habits that formed its logistical “tail". For years, this support system was burdened by manual, paper-based routines that were slow and prone to errors. Now, AI is being deployed to free soldiers from this drudgery, allowing them to focus on decision-making instead of clerical work.

The results are already visible. The implementation of the NIC eOffice has led to a 70 per cent reduction in stationery expenditure. This move towards a paperless environment includes SAAMARTH, a centralised application for all HR management, and ASAAN, a system to handle Agniveer administration. Even routine office work is being enhanced with tools like Jigyasa, a generative AI system operating on the secure Army Data Network.

This administrative overhaul is not separate from the combat mission; it is what enables it.

Experts point out this creates a leaner support structure, which directly enables a more effective operational capability.

On this indigenous foundation, the Army is deploying its new data-centric combat tools. The Situational Awareness Module for Army is an AI and machine learning-based system designed to generate a comprehensive operational picture for commanders.

This single picture is fed by a suite of in-house applications:

• Battlefield Surveillance System – This system integrates all surveillance sensors at the field formation level. It uses multi-sensor data fusion to provide commanders with an assessed situation in near real-time.
• Electronic Situational Report (eSitrep) – This application provides automated and digitized, GIS-based reports from the unit level directly to the DGMO.
• Electronic Intelligence – An AI-based system for analysing electronic intelligence.
• ANUMAAN – A weather application providing 72-hour forecasts for operational planning, which is now integrated with the SAMBHAV mobile ecosystem.

Even the counter-drone (C-UAS) capability, which has proven critical in recent conflicts, is being built with an AI-first approach. The strategy is a layered one, moving beyond simply shooting down threats to actively disrupting and denying them access. This includes advanced soft-kill methods like cognitive jammers and cyber-attacks, as well as precision hard-kill options like micro-missiles and interceptor drones.

This entire journey, as experts emphasise, is not a simple IT upgrade but a strategic necessity. By transforming its legacy systems, the Army is building a digitally empowered force that is ready for the conflicts of tomorrow.

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