(Forelines) – On September 15, 2025, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 16th Combined Commanders’ Conference (CCC) in Kolkata, West Bengal, where he assessed the security environment and the Armed Forces’ operational readiness, India’s Defence Ministry said in a statement.
The prime minister received a briefing on the future of combat in light of new tactics and technology, as well as operational readiness in the context of the new normal established by Operation Sindoor. He also went over the plan for the next two years as well as the improvements that have been put into place over the past two years.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the Armed Forces for the accomplishments of Operation Sindoor and their crucial role in nation-building, countering piracy, ensuring the safe return of Indian residents from war areas, and delivering disaster relief and humanitarian aid to friendly nations.
He gave the Ministry of Defense instructions to quickly put concrete measures in place to create more jointness, aatmanirbharta, and innovation in order to confront future challenges and prevail against any scenario, in keeping with 2025 being the “Year of Reforms” in defense.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was present during the meeting, along with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Raksha Rajya Mantri Sanjay Seth, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary (Ex-servicemen Welfare) Dr Niten Chandra, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat, Financial Advisor (Defence Services) Dr Mayank Sharma and other senior officers, as per Indian Defence Ministry.
On September 16, Defence Minister will speak to the Commanders, and on September 17, the Chief of Defense.
This CCC, the Armed Forces’ highest-level brainstorming session, is held once every two years and brings together the country’s top military and civilian leaders to share ideas and establish the framework for future advancements in India’s military readiness.
In keeping with the Armed Forces’ continuous modernization and transformation, this year’s theme is “Year of Reforms – Transformation for the Future,” Ministry of Defence said.
Over the course of the following two days, the conference would undertake a comprehensive examination of a number of structural, administrative, and operational issues based on input from all branches of the military, operational readiness in the face of growing international unpredictability, and talks to create a roadmap for carrying out the Prime Minister’s vision.
Reforms, Transformation & Change, and Operational Preparedness are the main objectives of the CCC 2025. When taken as a whole, these demonstrate the Armed Forces’ dedication to technological modernization, deeper integration, and institutional reforms while maintaining a high degree of multi-domain operational preparedness.
The goal of the discussions is to further fortify the Armed Forces, which are nimble and decisive in a geostrategic environment that is becoming more complicated.
The conference will offer interactive sessions with officers and people of different ranks from the Armed Forces, continuing the history of inclusive involvement and guaranteeing that field-level insights enhance the highest-level debates.