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“Operation Sindoor showed that wars are won by innovation as much as by courage”
At the Chanakya Defence Dialogue: Young Leaders Forum 2025, India’s youth delivered a clear message: the next war will not just be fought on battlefields but in the realm of ideas, innovation and intellect. Their call to action came against the backdrop of Operation Sindoor, India’s landmark demonstration of multi-domain precision warfare earlier this year, which showcased the power of civil–military synergy and youth-driven technology.
Speaking at the event, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who used to brief the media during Operation Sindoor, said the mission underscored a new truth about modern warfare:
“Operation Sindoor proved that stability and progress cannot be sustained without young minds and civilian participation,” she said. “It validated India’s capability for multi-domain precision warfare, the essence of fifth-generation combat. It was a remarkable demonstration of coordination, technology and human will.”
Her remarks set the tone for a discussion that positioned India’s young generation not as future inheritors, but as current architects of national power.
Major Radhika Sen expanded the definition of defence itself, urging citizens to see security as a collective moral responsibility.
“Tomorrow’s wars may begin with a click, not a gunshot,” she said. “Our first line of defence isn’t just at the borders; it’s in our hearts and minds.”
She reminded the audience that combating misinformation, fostering civic trust, and standing united are acts of national defence in their own right.
“When citizens stand united,” she said, “no external force can divide or defeat us.”
From the innovation front, Vrinda Kapoor, CEO of 3rd iTech, argued that India must harness its entrepreneurial energy as a pillar of national power.
“China’s rise shows how state and industry can build strategic capacity,” she said. “In India’s democracy, we must find our own model, one where innovation and governance move together.”
She added that India must adopt long-term strategic thinking like its global peers.
“The PLA had a 20-year technology plan; America’s innovation ecosystem runs on a 20-year vision,” Kapoor said. “India too must think beyond electoral cycles towards national cycles.”
Army Chief: Wars Are Moving from Battlefields to Brainfields
The youth voices were echoed by General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who reminded the gathering that the nature of warfare is evolving faster than ever.
“Warfare is increasingly becoming non-kinetic and non-contact,” he said. “It demands a response that fuses military strength with intellectual prowess and moral preparedness.”
Held at the Manekshaw Centre on the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the forum brought together senior officers, defence thinkers, entrepreneurs and students, united by one question: How can India’s young minds shape the power of tomorrow?
General Dwivedi urged the youth to lead not just from the frontlines, but from labs, think tanks, and innovation hubs.
“Modern defence no longer ends with the soldier’s rifle; it extends to the coder’s keyboard, the researcher’s pen and the innovator’s imagination.”
“We Can’t Afford Humiliation Again”: Kiren Rijiju
Delivering the keynote address, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, hailed as a youth icon, reflected on the lessons of 1962 and the strength of national resolve.
“My village was overrun; soldiers fought without supplies. My father opened our granary to feed them. Those memories taught me one thing: India must never again face humiliation; we must always remain strong.”
He noted that India’s rise as a major power is the result of discipline, determination and vision, not chance.
“Most countries are growing at around 2–3 per cent. India is growing at a rate of over 7 per cent. That is not just growth, it’s transformation,” he said.
Yet Rijiju cautioned that demographic strength could become a liability without the right skills and purpose.
“If we can’t skill our population, it will kill our nation. Our youth must become our greatest asset, not a burden.”
He urged young Indians to remain rooted in civilisational values even as they embrace global innovation.
“We are an ancient civilisation with a young population. Our youth must remember where we come from, even as they build where we are going.”
Youth as India’s Frontline Force
Across the forum, one sentiment stood above all – India’s youth are not merely the future; they are the force of the present.
The Chanakya Defence Dialogue: Young Leaders Forum 2025 reflected the generational shift in India’s strategic mindset – where courage is measured not only by how one fights, but also by how one thinks.
Resham Bhambani
