Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Monday spoke about India's preparation to fight both short-duration, high-intensity conflicts and long-drawn land-based wars to effectively deter terrorism and respond to territorial disputes.
Speaking at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, General Chauhan underlined that India faces a complex security environment due to unresolved land disputes with neighbouring countries and the presence of nuclear-armed adversaries. Without naming Pakistan or China, he pointed out that one of India’s adversaries is a nuclear weapon state.
While the other is a nuclear-armed state, making deterrence a critical factor in military planning. “What kind of threats and challenges should India be prepared for must be based on these realities.
Deterrence Through Dual Readiness
We should not allow the level of deterrence to be breached,” he said, according to PTI. The CDS said India must be capable of executing short, high-intensity military operations to deter terrorism, citing Operation Sindoor as an example.
At the same time, he stressed the need to remain prepared for long-duration, land-centric conflicts arising out of territorial disputes, even as efforts should be made to avoid such scenarios.
Convergence Warfare Reshaping Battles
General Chauhan also spoke at length about the changing nature of warfare, stating that the world is at the cusp of a third revolution in military affairs, which he termed 'convergence warfare.'
He explained that unlike earlier periods, modern warfare is being shaped by the convergence of multiple advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, edge computing, hypersonic weapons, advanced materials and robotics.
According to him, future conflicts will inevitably involve multi-domain operations, making them a necessity rather than an option. He said Operation Sindoor clearly demonstrated this shift, with land, air, sea, cyber and other domains being employed simultaneously during a brief but decisive conflict.
Multi-Domain Operation Key
“In a war that lasted about four days and resulted in a decisive victory for India, all domains of warfare were used together with a high operational tempo,” he said.
The CDS added that successful multi-domain operations would require not just advanced capabilities but also extensive coordination and command-and-control mechanisms among the Army, Navy and Air Force, along with cyber, space and cognitive domain forces.
