Indian armed forces need to transition from net-centric operations to intelligent warfare: CDS General Anil Chauhan

CDS General Anil Chauhan urges Indian Armed Forces to transition from Multi-Domain Operations to intelligent warfare for modern combat readiness.

“As warfare expands from the physical to the synthetic and cognitive realms, the Indian Armed Forces need to transition from net-centric operations toward Intelligent Warfare and move beyond Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) to All-Realm All-Domain Operations (ARADO)” said Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan.

Delivering the inaugural address at the CDM annual seminar on the theme ‘Multi-Domain Integrated Technologically-Empowered Resilient Armed Forces’, or MITRA, at the College of Defence Management, Secunderabad, General Chauhan said the evolving character of warfare demands a shift in doctrine, capability development and organisational thinking to retain decision advantage across the spectrum of conflict.

He spoke about the Third Revolution in Military Affairs, marked by Convergence Warfare. He described this as the fusion of contact and non-contact operations, kinetic and non-kinetic means, and old and new domains across all levels of conflict. He also underlined the need to establish credible non-nuclear strategic deterrence, stressing that preparedness must ensure the ability to prevail at every rung of escalation.

The two-day seminar, held on February 24 and 25, was hosted by CDM with the Indian School of Business (ISB) as its knowledge partner. The seminar served as a strategic platform to align lessons from contemporary conflicts with India’s specific operational environment, with a focus on self-reliance and structural reform. The objective was to advance the MITRA vision by shaping armed forces that are multi-domain in outlook, integrated in action, technology-empowered in execution and resilient in purpose, as per a release.