New Delhi, Aug 26(HS): Stressing that the battlefields of tomorrow will transcend service boundaries, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Tuesday said that swift, decisive joint responses across domains, powered by self-reliance and integrated logistics, will be decisive in future wars.

Delivering the keynote address at RAN SAMWAD—a first-of-its-kind Tri-service seminar on War, Warfare and Warfighting—at the Army War College here, General Chauhan highlighted India’s focus on jointness, technological innovation and civil-military integration as the cornerstones of military transformation.

“Aatmanirbharta in defence and integrated logistics are keys to victory in the wars to come,” the CDS asserted, underlining the need to institutionalise joint training and harness emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Cyber and Quantum to boost operational capability.

Reaffirming India’s commitment to indigenous defence systems, he spoke about the development of ‘Sudarshan Chakra,’ India’s own Iron Dome, envisioned as both a shield and a sword in multi-domain warfare.

Quoting Kautilya, General Chauhan noted that while India has historically been a centre of knowledge, there is a lack of in-depth scholarly analysis of Indian wars and strategic thinking. He called for serious research on war, leadership, morale and techno-strategy, urging all stakeholders to collectively build a “future-ready force” that is Sashakt, Surakshit, Aatmanirbhar and Viksit.

The CDS said the idea of RAN SAMWAD is to create space for young and middle-level officers—firsthand practitioners familiar with fast-evolving technologies—ensuring that innovative ideas can harmonise with the experience of senior personnel.

The two-day seminar, bringing serving military professionals into strategic dialogue, will also feature Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s plenary address on Wednesday. It will see the release of new Joint Doctrines and the Technology Perspective & Capability Roadmap shaping India’s military preparedness.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar