On January 13, 2026, Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said in the annual press conference that India is now moving towards building a strong rocket and missile force. General Dwivedi said that China and Pakistan have already set up their missile and drone forces, hence India also needs such a force.
Rockets and Missiles Gamechanger Weapons
General Dwivedi said, ‘Do we need a missile force? The answer is yes. Today rockets and missiles are linked to each other. If we want to stay ahead, we can use both. We are looking towards rocket-missile force.
General Dwivedi said that India has already inducted 150 km and 450 km rocket systems. Efforts are being made to increase this capacity further.
What is India’s current position regarding rockets and missiles?
- The Indian Army has already inducted the Pinaka system, which has a range of 120 kilometers.
- Now additional contracts with a range of up to 150 km have been signed.
- Long range strike capability is being increased with systems like Pralay and BrahMos.
- There are preparations to increase the range of drones also. Recently drones with 100 km range have been tested and further expansion is being done.
- The Army is creating swarm drone regiments, which will be able to conduct operations ranging from 5 km to 500 km.
PM Modi gave slogan of JAI
Upendra Dwivedi said, ‘We have made very good progress in the field of security in 2025. Our capacity has increased and the infrastructure on the border has also become much better. He further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given the slogan of ‘JAI’ in September 2025. JAI means jointness (working together of all armies), self-reliance (making weapons and technology in the country itself) and innovation (adopting new technologies).
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh had announced several major reforms in January 2025. Apart from this, the Indian Army itself has made many changes in the last 10 years. Due to all this, General Dwivedi said, ‘We are completely satisfied with the progress that has been made in 2025. That is, the army has now become strong, self-reliant and modern.