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Three months into Operation Sindoor, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan has sent a clear message: future battles will be won by “scholar-warriors” backed by a fully integrated force.
Speaking at a closed-door event hosted by the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) on Thursday, the country’s top military officer drew on lessons from his book “Ready, Relevant and Resurgent: A Blueprint for the Transformation of India’s Military” and from recent combat operations.
“In today’s tech-dominated battlespace, Shaastra (knowledge) is as important as Shastra (weapons),” General Chauhan said, adding that India’s armed forces are accelerating efforts to strengthen both intra-service and inter-service coordination.
One example is the revamped curriculum at the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), where student officers are now required to study sister services more closely. The change, he said, is breaking down silos, encouraging fresh thinking, and sharpening understanding of each service’s capabilities.
That mindset shift is already translating into results. The military has moved from producing a single joint doctrine every two years to aiming for nine annually, a pace the CDS described as vital for keeping ahead of adversaries.
General Chauhan linked Operation Sindoor’s success to lessons learned from the 2019 Balakot airstrikes (Operation Bandar), particularly in the use of stand-off precision weapons. These, he said, were adapted and deployed effectively during Sindoor’s kinetic phase.
“We must always be one step ahead in precision strike capabilities and ready to defeat countermeasures,” he stressed.
The most striking operational milestone was the near-complete integration of the Army, Navy and Air Force’s air defence systems before combat began. Previously, each service operated on a separate architecture. Now, we’re achieving almost 100% integration,” he revealed, noting that the rise of drones only heightens the need for robust airspace management.
From rethinking officer education to unifying critical defence networks, the CDS’s remarks left little doubt: India’s path to battlefield dominance lies in brains, firepower, and a force that fights as one.
Dhruv Yadav
