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Technology versus troops: Tracing India's defence dilemma
India needs to balance the inexorable logic of force optimisation with making up for the numbers lost
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 "Dinakar Peri")
 "Soldiers disembark from the Indian Navy's landing craft during a tri-services military drill in Porbandar, Gujarat, on November 13, 2025 (Photo: Reuters)")
Soldiers disembark from the Indian Navy's landing craft during a tri-services military drill in Porbandar, Gujarat, on November 13, 2025 (Photo: Reuters)
Technology has profoundly changed warfare and transformed the battlefield. It is an evolutionary process, but the pace has been profound in the last few years. Technological advancements have led to a reduction in manpower requirements as automation set in from the industrial to the information age. From industry to the battlefield, technology and automation have reduced the need for hard labour in general, but there are many domains where technology is an enabler and manpower is still required. Warfare is at the top of that pedestal. Advanced weapon systems and automation during the 19th and 20th centuries have enabled
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Dinakar Peri
Dinakar Peri is fellow, Security Studies Programme at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace India
 "Dinakar Peri")
First Published: Dec 10 2025 | 7:15 AM IST
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