India must be prepared to fight short and long duration wars: CDS citing terror, land disputes

In a recent address at IIT Bombay, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan outlined a strategic roadmap for India’s military future, emphasizing the need for a versatile force capable of handling both sudden bursts of high-intensity conflict and prolonged territorial disputes.

Here are the key takeaways from his speech:

A Dual-Front Strategy

General Chauhan highlighted that India must prepare for two distinct types of warfare based on its unique geopolitical landscape:

Short-Duration, High-Intensity Conflicts: These are designed to deter terrorism. He cited Operation Sindoor (May 2024) as a blueprint—a four-day, decisive strike that utilized all domains of warfare simultaneously to dismantle terror infrastructure.
Long-Duration Land Conflicts: Due to unresolved territorial disputes with neighboring nuclear-armed states, India must remain prepared for protracted, land-centric wars, even while actively seeking to avoid them to maintain nuclear deterrence.

The “Third Revolution”: Convergence Warfare

The CDS argued that we are entering a new era of “Convergence Warfare.” Unlike previous shifts driven by one or two technologies, this revolution is powered by the simultaneous integration of:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Edge Computing
Quantum Technology and Hypersonics
Robotics and Advanced Materials

Necessity of Multi-Domain Operations

General Chauhan asserted that multi-domain operations are no longer optional. Future success depends on:

Cross-Domain Impact: Ensuring actions in one arena (e.g., cyber) immediately bolster efforts in another (e.g., land or sea).
Integrated Command: Seamless coordination between the Army, Navy, and Air Force, alongside dedicated Space, Cyber, and Cognitive domain forces.
Asymmetric Advantage: Exploiting new technologies to create advantages over weaker adversaries while ensuring India’s own vulnerabilities are not exploited by others.