Pune, May 30: The armed forces are fully prepared for ‘Operation Sindoor 2.0’ if the need arises, Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi said on Saturday, asserting that all three services are enhancing synergy for modern multi-domain warfare that extends beyond land, air and sea.
Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of the passing-out parade of the 150th course of the National Defence Academy (NDA) here, General Dwivedi noted that while a temporary cessation of hostilities currently exists, all three services are preparing intensely for the next phase should it take place.
“As far as Operation Sindoor is concerned, firstly, it is still continuing. There is a temporary cessation of hostilities. So the Indian Army and all the three services are preparing well for Operation Sindoor 2.0 if it takes place,” he said.
He noted that future warfare will not be limited to land, maritime and air alone, but would be increasingly influenced by emerging domains such as space, cyber and cognitive warfare.
Modern battlefields have become highly transparent, General Dwivedi said, adding that military planners must remain cautious about deployments and force protection measures.
“What we have seen over a period of time is 24/7. The battlefield is so transparent that every movement is known to the other side. Therefore, we have to be very cautious in terms of our deployment, in terms of our employment, and the protection which is required to protect our troops as well as the civilians in the border areas,” he said.
Referring to information warfare lessons from Operation Sindoor, General Dwivedi said public trust and national cohesion would remain decisive factors in future conflicts.
“Victory is always in the mind. It’s not on the ground. Therefore, information warfare is only successful if the whole of the nation gets together and trusts the people who are giving the information,” he said.
“If that happens, I can assure you that the nation which trusts each other and all these stakeholders will always win the war,” the Army chief said.
He said that Operation Sindoor demonstrated India’s resolve and the armed forces’ ability to deliver a calibrated, precise, and purposeful response.
“This operation underlined the importance of integrated planning, real-time intelligence, precision targeting, strong air defence, secure communications, and synergy across domains,” the Army chief said.
He said the Indian Army is fully conscious of modernisation transformation.
“We are transforming ourselves into a future-ready force under the ‘Decade of Transformation’, wherein the role of the younger generation would be pivotal,” he said.
He said the raising of industry drone battalions, Divyastra batteries, Shaktiman regiments, Bhairav battalions, and other technology-enabled structures from within our resources is part of this transformation.
The general said the next major step is networking and data-centricity, where data becomes a strategic resource, and decision-making becomes faster, smarter, and more resilient.
Talking about the use of drones and other indigenous weapons, General Dwivedi said since he has taken over, he has been talking about “Eagle on the Arm”.
“This means every soldier should have an “eagle” in their hand… Every soldier should have the capability to fly a drone. You have seen that in our academies and other places, training for this is ongoing, simulators are there,” he said.
He said that the long-awaited military theaterisation process is on the “right track”, with deliberations within the Chiefs of Staff Committee completed and a report submitted to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for review.
All major concerns and interests of the three services have been accommodated in the proposed structure, he said.
General Dwivedi said service chiefs would continue to be responsible for “raise, train and sustain”, while theatre commanders would be tasked with operational orchestration of forces.
“We are hopeful that the next setup which is coming under the new CDS should be able to take the journey forward and in the next two to three years, we should be able to see it happening on the ground,” he said.
Earlier in the day, General Dwivedi reviewed the passing-out parade of the 150th course at NDA, Khadakwasla, where he said that Operation Sindoor had set a benchmark for when national will was expressed with precision and resolve, defining India’s response to provocation.
“From contested grey zones to high-velocity hybrid warfare, today’s security environment demands that those who serve must think sharply as they act,” he said.
“Operation Sindoor demonstrated that and set the benchmark when national will was expressed with precision and resolve, defining how Bharat responds to provocation. That standard now belongs to you to uphold,” the Army Chief said.
Calling the occasion “a poignant and a particularly personal moment”, General Dwivedi recalled passing out from the same quarterdeck over 42 years ago.
“Today, as I stand before you at the far end of a life in uniform, preparing to doff mine as you prepare to don yours, I can tell you with certainty: what you begin here endures forever,” he said.
