Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said drones have become a decisive force in modern conflict and outlined India’s plans for a layered, networked drone capability linked to artillery, air defence, electronic warfare and intelligence systems.
In an interview to HT, he also said that the army has been reorganized to deliver more decisive results on the battlefield; The agreement with China on withdrawal of troops along the Line of Actual Control has shown both sides greater responsiveness and sensitivity to each other’s concerns; And Operation Sindoor demonstrated that India’s future responses would not be constrained by Pakistan’s nuclear blackmail. Edited excerpts:
How is the rise of drones and multi-domain warfare changing the battlefield, and how is the Army adapting?
Recent conflicts have shown that drones are no longer platform specific. They can pursue armor, direct precision fire, support logistics, relay communications, and influence information space. Additionally, hostile unmanned systems have made detection, jamming, spoofing, and neutralization a frontline necessity. Therefore, when we talk about drones today, we should also talk about counter-UAS (unmanned aerial systems), electronic warfare, air defense, secure networks, and data fusion. Our drone capability will be tiered, role-based and networked. The real value will come when drone feeds are combined with artillery, air defense, aviation, intelligence, electronic warfare and ground maneuver through secure networks, enabling a faster sensor-to-shooter cycle. In multi-domain operations, no single domain decides the outcome by itself. Ground operations, cyber effects, electronic warfare, space-based support, information operations and precision fires must work together. Our effort is to move from domain silos to domain fusion, where the distance between services and domains becomes progressively smaller. That is why we are focusing on joint doctrines, MDO (Multi-Domain Operations) war-gaming, electronic warfare brigades, cyber electromagnetic activities, information warfare structures and data-centric command systems.
What is the current status of theaterisation and when can India expect to have a fully functional integrated theater command? Do differences persist between services?
Theaterization is a necessity to fight future wars. Substantial groundwork has been done in joint planning, command and control, areas of responsibility, logistics, communications, doctrine, training and human resource policies. The Army has started rationalizing formations, streamlining operational aspects and aligning logistics, communication and training structures so that formations can integrate smoothly once theater commands are notified. These commands will enable better utilization of national combat power by pooling sensors, shooters, logistics and support structures across the three services. Future conflicts will be short-cycle, high-intensity and multi-domain where space, cyber, information and electronic warfare will be integrated with land, sea and air operations. In such an environment, the armed forces must be able to see, decide and act together. Theater commands, supported by integrated networks, joint targeting processes and interoperable systems, will help reduce duplication, improve the speed of decision making and produce more effective results. Reform of this scale cannot be rushed…requiring careful coordination on issues such as joint primacy, air power employment, command and control, compatible equipment, integrated logistics chains and preserving service specialization while ensuring standardized administrative policies. These are not differences of intentions… The most important change is cultural and organizational – moving from service-focused planning to theater and mission-focused joint planning. The direction is clear and immutable. The future of Indian warfare is joint, integrated and theatrical.
How is the reorganization of the army going?
Future conflicts will be multi-domain, technology-intensive, and increasingly non-linear. Land operations will no longer be viewed in isolation. They will be closely linked to air, cyber, space, electromagnetic spectrum and cognitive domains. Our restructuring is about creating combat capabilities that are more agile, integrated and responsive. Rudra Brigades are integrated all-arms formations that bring together infantry, mechanized elements, armour, artillery, special forces, drones and support elements to produce rapid tactical results. The idea is to provide commanders with formations that can respond faster, operate with greater flexibility and provide integrated effects in a compressed time frame. Bhairava battalions are designed to fill the capability gap between component platoons and special forces. They will give the Army a more flexible and higher readiness option for difficult missions. At the infantry battalion level, 382 Ashni Drone Platoon will strengthen surveillance, target acquisition, tactical drone employment and battlefield awareness. Shaktiban Regiment and Divyastra Batteries will add greater accuracy, reach and technology-enabled impact. The purpose of these structures is to ensure that technology is not only at a high level, but also available to those formations and units where it can directly influence combat outcomes. The IBG (Integrated Battle Group) concept aims to create agile, self-reliant and mission-oriented formations. The concept has been tested, studied and refined, and is soon set to be reorganized into a Mountain Strike Corps with an IBG. To fight in a contested electromagnetic environment, electronic warfare brigades are also being raised. My focus has been to ensure that each new structure adds real operational value, strengthening soldiers, empowering commanders and enhancing the Army’s ability to deliver decisive results.
What are the top modernization priorities of the Army and how important is indigenization to achieve them?
Our modernization is being driven by the operating environment, changing character of warfare and the need to create a technology-efficient, networked and agile force. We are not seeing modernization as just the arrival of hardware. It is a blend of intelligence, technology and self-reliance. Our top priorities are multi-platform and multi-sensor real-time surveillance, long-range precision fires including advanced artillery and precision-guided munitions and counter-UAS capabilities supported by air defense, UAS and AI-enabled decision systems. Along with these, we will continue to modernize tanks, anti-tank systems, military equipment, cyber, electronic warfare, logistics and battlefield communications networks. The aim is to achieve the right balance between traditional and specialized capabilities. India’s security context does not allow us to abandon conventional forces, but future battlefields will also demand drones, counter-drone systems, hypersonic weapons, directed-energy options, cyber, autonomous systems and resilient networks. Indigenization is at the heart of this journey. We need Indian solutions to Indian challenges because our terrain, threat matrix and operational demands are unique. We are following a systematic process in line with emerging threats, indigenous design and development capabilities and available resources.
What is the biggest learning from Operation Sindoor? If Pakistan creates trouble again, how will Sindoor 2.0 be different?
The greatest legacy of Operation Vermillion is that it affirmed integrated, multi-domain and technology-enabled operations as the defining template for the future battlefield. It was a defining moment that demonstrated the ability of the Indian Armed Forces to deliver swift, precise and politically coherent military results in a limited time frame. The operation validated the effectiveness of integrated planning, real-time intelligence fusion and decisive leadership at all levels. Air, land, cyber and electronic warfare capabilities worked together, while precision weapons, drones and rotating munitions maximized impact with minimal collateral damage. It also confirmed that future conflicts will be small, intense and technology-driven, requiring rapid mobility, seamless logistics and compressed decision cycles. As far as any future reaction is concerned, I would not want to define it as Vermilion 2.0 already. Each operation will depend on the provocation and national objective. There will be no distinction between a terrorist and a terror sponsor, and India’s response will not be hampered by (Pakistan’s) nuclear blackmail. If the adversary persists with anti-India activities, the response will be stronger, sharper and more balanced so that the price can be paid.
What is your assessment of the security situation along the LAC?
The situation on the northern borders is stable but sensitive. The agreements on troop withdrawal have increased stability on the ground and both sides are now showing greater responsiveness and sensitivity to each other’s concerns. There have been positive indicators of gradual normalization, including formation of an expert group for border delimitation, a working group for border management, resumption of Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra and direct flights, agreement on resumption of border trade through three border passes and visa relaxation measures.
Many steps have been taken to maintain peace even at the military level. More than 1,100 ground-level talks take place annually between the two sides for peaceful resolution of routine border management issues. Local issues are addressed through military-to-military engagement, hotlines, flag meetings and commander-level talks. Our priorities are clear: maintaining peace and tranquility, resolving local issues through dialogue, maintaining stability to progress on the Expert Group and Working Group mechanisms, maintaining strong deployment to deter any threat and continuing focused infrastructure and capacity development. We will continue to engage where necessary, but our position along the LAC will remain firm, credible and capable.
