India should be prepared for both short term and long term wars: CDS General Anil Chauhan gave the reason.

New Delhi:India will have to prepare itself for complex and multidimensional challenges related to security in the coming times. Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan said this during a program organized at IIT Bombay on Monday. He said that terrorism and long-running territorial disputes with neighboring countries give rise to different types of military threats for India, which require a solid strategy and strong preparation to deal with them.

Dual challenge of short term and long term conflicts

General Chauhan said that India will have to be mentally and strategically prepared for two types of conflicts. First, short-term but high-intensity military operations to combat terrorism and second, long-term conflicts due to land disputes. He clarified that quick and decisive action is necessary to stop terrorist activities, whereas conflicts related to border disputes can last for a long time and patience and resources play a big role in these.

Both countries are nuclear equipped

Although General Chauhan did not name any country directly, he indicated that India has border disputes with both its major neighbours. He said that India will have to keep in mind the fact that one of its adversaries is a nuclear-armed country and the other is a nuclear-armed country. In such a situation, India’s deterrence should not be allowed to weaken under any circumstances. He stressed that maintaining nuclear balance is very important for national security.

prompt military action against terrorism

The CDS said that India should always be prepared for short-term and swift conflicts against terrorism. Giving the example of ‘Operation Vermillion’, he said that speed, coordination and decisive action are important in such operations. However, he also added that efforts should be made to avoid protracted conflicts as far as possible, as their economic and humanitarian impact is much greater.

The changing nature of modern warfare

Discussing modern warfare, General Chauhan said that the world is standing at the cusp of the third revolution in military affairs, which he named “Convergent Warfare”. According to him, war is no longer limited to weapons only. Technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Technology, Edge Computing, Hypersonic Weapons, Advanced Materials and Robotics are completely changing the nature of war.

Multi-domain operations will become a necessity

General Chauhan said that in future multi-domain operations will not become an option but a necessity. He said that action taken in one area will affect other areas also. This was clearly seen during ‘Operation Sindoor’, where rapid action was taken simultaneously in land, water, air, cyber and other areas.

Strong coordination between the three armies is necessary

He said that for successful conduct of multi-domain operations, better coordination and control between the Army, Navy and Air Force as well as forces working in cyber, space and cognitive fields will be essential. Only balanced use of technology and human skills will play a decisive role in future wars.