India’s defence spending, as a percentage of the GDP has decreased from 2.25 per cent in 2014-15 to 1.91 per cent in 2024-2025. Along with this, there has also been a drop in the share of foreign procurement in capital defence purchases, especially from 2018-19 onwards, with share of foreign procurement being at approximately 49 per cent in 2018-19 declining by more than half at 12.4 per cent in the previous financial year uptil December 2024.
The Rationale: Why An Indian Rocket Force Now?
India currently maintains its major missile assets—BrahMos, Prithvi, Pralay, the evolving BM-04, and the Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher—across the three services. This siloed distribution leads to operational fragmentation, slower decision cycles, and inefficiencies in both crisis and peacetime deterrence. In the context of Pakistan and China consolidating their own rocket forces under unified commands, Indian strategic circles argue for a centralised, joint-service Rocket Force that would:
Unify land, air, and naval missile assets for integrated command and rapid response
Enable escalation management by having distinct control over strategic, theatre, and tactical missile assets
Enhance deterrence by providing a clear and credible conventional counterforce
Improve cost-effectiveness and doctrinal clarity by reducing redundancy and streamlining procurement and development
Jointness And Integration
The central question is whether an Indian rocket force would be a joint service organisation—mirroring the emerging “Theaterisation” reforms underway in the Indian armed forces. Under current considerations, the proposed IRF is envisioned as a tri-service command under the stewardship of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), likely headed operationally by a Lieutenant General-equivalent, integrating inputs and operational control from all three traditional services.
Tactical Vs Strategic Asset Control
Debate persists over the demarcation of missile assets: which missiles remain with the services for “tactical” use (e.g., Pinaka, short-range Prithvi), and which are delegated to the IRF for broader, theatre-level “strategic” effect (e.g., BrahMos, Pralay, BM-04). The Pralay missile, with its newly tested 500 km range and advanced maneuverability, and the next-generation BM-04 (up to 1,500 km), exemplify the blurring of lines between tactical and strategic systems. The Pinaka system itself is evolving, with new variants extending to 120 km and even a planned 300 km range, raising questions on classification and centralised control.
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