Ability to anticipate, prepare for future conflicts existential, not optional for military: CDS
Ability to anticipate, prepare for future conflicts existential, not optional for military: CDS
New Delhi, Warfare invents itself constantly and concepts that appear futuristic can become obsolete even before they are implemented, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan said on Thursday, and asserted that the ability to "visualise, anticipate and prepare" for future conflicts, therefore becomes existential for a military, and it's "not an option".
In his special address on "Future Wars: Strategic Posturing Through Military Power" on the opening day of the third edition of the Chanakya Defence Dialogue, a key conclave hosted by the Army here, he said knowing the enemy in the context when warfare is already on, is becoming more and more important.
"And, probably in future, in a battle, not allowing the enemy to know about himself, will become a battle-winning factor," the CDS said, without elaborating.
He also underlined that conventional deterrence is taking on a "new form", adding to the complexities of the task that the military has to carry out.
On the subject of the nuclear domain, he said, today, this "particular stability is weakening".
"Major powers are modernising their arsenals, long-standing treaties have eroded, and regional tensions from South Asia to the Korean Peninsula are driving new nuclear ambitions," the CDS said.
"Some states now signal the acceptability of nuclear weapons. This thin boundary between rhetoric and demonstration of actual capabilities is causing instability in the global nuclear domain," he cautioned.
The general officer cited Russia's pursuit of nuclear-powered systems, China's expansion of its nuclear arsenals, and US President Donald Trump's call for nuclear testing, and said these are some cases in point towards this "weakening" aspect.
The geopolitical trends, erosion of the concept of sovereignty and territorial integrity, which are being challenged, propensity to use force for the attainment of political objectives, and dilution of nuclear trends, "if you combine all these three trends, they don't augur well for global peace and security", he said.
"The global... geopolitics itself is in a state of flux, with shifting alliances and security interdependencies. The future world would hence be more violent and a very, very unstable place," he said.
The general officer began his address by underlining that predicting the future is always difficult, and predicting warfare or the outcome of warfare is always difficult, from the smallest of engagements to a war or a campaign.
"Warfare invents itself constantly. Concepts that appear futuristic can become obsolete even before they are implemented. Yet, this is a risk that all military officers have to undertake. The ability to visualise, anticipate, and prepare for future conflicts, therefore, becomes existential for us, and it's not an option," the CDS asserted.
Soldiers don't fight every day; they prepare for that ultimate day, and yet they are not supposed to fail on that ultimate day, because "any failure in warfare can be catastrophic for a nation. So, this is important for us".
Clarity of thought and intellectual honesty are the lifeblood of strategic leadership. Military leadership must take lessons from the past and the present to prepare for the future, he said.
Thinker Sun Tzu had said, "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles," the CDS underlined.
He noted that while Sun Tzu spoke in the context of pre-war preparation, knowing the enemy during an ongoing conflict has become even more important. "Probably in future battles, not allowing the enemy to know about himself will become a winning factor," the CDS said, without elaborating.
The top officer said technology is making geography slightly irrelevant today. He cited three trends technological, geopolitical and military strategy which he said are going to shape warfare in future.
The theme of Chanakya Defence Dialogue-2025 is, "Reform to Transform: Sashakt and Aur Surakshit Bharat".
Senior officers of the Indian armed forces, and defence and strategic affairs experts from India and abroad are taking part in the two-day conclave being held at the Maneksahw Centre in Delhi Cantonment.
In his address at the event earlier in the day, Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi recalled the 'Decade of Transformation' vision earlier announced by the Army for the period 2023-2032, and outlined a three-phase plan to make it a future-ready force.
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