Professional Military Education: Making of the 21st Century Warrior

Lt Gen AB Shivane

A well-researched treatise, critically examines the Indian legacy system of Professional Military Education. The author highlights the need for transformation by adopting disruptive technologies and other complex factors in the new model to keep up with the dynamic evolution of the strategic environment and warfighting tenets. The emphasis on the enhancement of joint institutions and training, and the recommendation to bring relevant bureaucrats and politicians in its ambit is very relevant for the good of the Nation’s strategic culture.”

—Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, PVSM, AVSM, VM (Retd)
Former Chief of the Air Staff, Indian Air Force

“Warfare in the future will require a relook at military education. This mandates a de novo look at the cognitive character of future warriors as thought leaders with an ascent on technology, joint warfare, CMF and strategic culture. ‘PME - Making of the 21st Century Warrior’ is seminal research on this critical need, which is both comprehensive and contemporary with far reaching pragmatic recommendations. It would be of immense value both to the military and those entrusted with matters of defence policy.”

— Admiral Sunil Lanba, PVSM, AVSM, PJG (Retd)
Former Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy

“The ‘man behind the machine’ is the ultimate battle winning factor. With changing times and changes in the character of warfare, there is a definitive need to bring in a change in our training philosophy and methodology. To this end, this book is extremely relevant and timely, to prepare our soldiers for the wars of the future.”

—General M MNaravane, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM (Retd)
Former Chief of the Army Staff, Indian Army

Book

Warfare is fast outpacing the Warfighter. This gap has to be bridged through a transformed PME. Professional Military Education Making for the 21st Century Warrior is an objective introspection of the military education system which ruthlessly identifies the shortcomings and comprehensively suggests solutions for fixing the roots and bridging the gap.

The book addresses the challenges to prevail in the struggle between ‘military managing the change and change managing the military’. It builds on new ideas, a reoriented PME model, realigned focus and reformed structures. It seeks to overcome the legacy cultural barriers, bureaucratic lethargy, civil-military silos and conformist mindsets.

The suggested PME model envisions developing future joint warfighters with a scientific temper, adept in the art and science of warfare, who think strategically, are empowered intellectually and can creatively apply military power to achieve combat overmatch under disruptive conditions of uncertainty and an accelerated rate of change in a multi-domain operational environment.

The research by the author is essentially focused on the Indian PME, yet will be of immense value to militaries across the globe to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Lt Gen AB Shivane , PVSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd) a second generation officer is an NDA alumnus and a highly decorated Armoured Corps officer with over 39 years of distinguished military service including a tenure in a UN mission. He was the Strike Corps Commander and Director General of Mechanised Forces. As a renowned scholar warrior, he has authored over a hundred publications on national security and matters of defence, besides two books and is an internationally renowned keynote speaker. The General was a Consultant to the Ministry of Defence (Ordnance Factory Board) post-superannuation. He is presently the Distinguished Fellow and holds the COAS Chair of Excellence at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies. He is also the Senior Advisor Board Member and Executive Director to several organisations and Think Tanks.

Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Introduction

Abstract: Chapter Overview

1. War, Warfare and Professional Military Education: The Contextual Connect
2. Empowering Future Military Leaders with Strategic Thinking and Communication Skills
3. Intellectual Overmatch: A Strategic Imperative for Military Success
4. Developing Critical Thinking and Creativity Skills as a Leadership Attribute
5. Technology and Training Synergy in the Future Battlespace
6. Artificial Intelligence Enabled Smart PME for Smart Warfighting
7. Pme for the Information Warfare Age Warriors
8. Joint Professional Military Education: The Path to Military Success
9. The Role of Civil-Military Fusion in Shaping Professional Military Education
10. Global Scan of Pme Strategies and Best Practices
11. Indian Ancient Military Education Culture and Indianisation of Military Thought
12. Appraisal of Indian Pme: Making it Good to Great
13. Adopting a New Model of Pme: Policy Contours and Construct
14. The Way Ahead: Summary of Policy Recommendations
Appendix A: Ai in Strategic Systems
Vrinda Kapoor and Vinayak Dalmia
Appendix B: Online Google form Survey: An Overview