India, March 16 -- On March 10, defence minister Rajnath Singh released "Defence Forces Vision 2047: A Roadmap for a Future-Ready Indian Military". By the centenary year of Independence, the armed forces aim to become an integrated, all-domain force, ready to respond across the full spectrum of conflict to protect and promote national interests, in concert with all elements of national power.

The newly-articulated vision is important because India faces a demanding security environment even as the character of conflict is being fundamentally transformed. The structure and doctrinal thinking that serve the military today will need to be reshaped for the battlespace of tomorrow.

The document gets the broad diagnosis right. It situates mil...