Army’s theatreisation steadily taking shape: Army chief

Pune: The Indian armed forces are prepared for Operation Sindoor 2.0 if the circumstances demand it, said Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi after reviewing the Passing Out Parade of the 150th course of NDA on Saturday.

He, while addressing the media, said India’s ambitious military theatreisation project is progressing steadily and could begin taking shape within the next two to three years. Discussions within the Chiefs of Staff Committee had been completed, and a comprehensive report was submitted to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

The proposal has been under consideration by various stakeholders, he said, adding that Operation Sindoor is still continuing. There is just a temporary cessation of hostilities.

Before the media briefing, while addressing the passing-out cadets as the Reviewing Officer, Gen Dwivedi said Operation Sindoor had set a benchmark for India’s response to provocation. He urged future officers to uphold those standards.

He said, “The Chief of Defence Staff and the chiefs of three services had worked collectively to ensure the interests of all services were protected while enhancing operational synergy. The future structure will clearly define responsibilities between service headquarters and theatre commanders.”

After the reforms, while the Army, Navy and Air Force chiefs will continue to oversee the raising, training and sustaining of forces, operational control and employment of military assets will rest with integrated theatre commanders, he said.

Acknowledging that integration would require adjustments, he said some degree of compromise will be inevitable in the pursuit of jointness and combat effectiveness. He expressed confidence in the reforms, stating that all three services would need to engage in some form of give-and-take to achieve synergy.

The army chief said emerging domains such as space, cyber and cognitive warfare would shape future conflicts and require new approaches to military planning. “What we have seen over a period of time is the battle field is transparent and every movement is known to the other side 24/7. Therefore, we have to be very cautious in terms of our deployment and the protection required for our troops as well as civilians in border areas,” he said.

Referring to lessons from Operation Sindoor, he highlighted the importance of information warfare, public trust and national cohesion. “Victory is always in the mind. It’s not on the ground. Therefore, information warfare is only successful if the whole nation gets together and trusts the people who are providing the information. A nation that trusts each other and its stakeholders will always win the war,” he said.

On military modernisation, he said the army was transforming itself into a future-ready force under the “Decade of Transformation”, with younger generations playing a crucial role. He cited the drone battalions, Divyastra batteries, Shaktiman regiments, Bhairav battalions and other technology-enabled formations as part of this effort.

The next major step, he said, is networking and data-centricity, where data becomes a strategic resource and decision-making becomes faster and more resilient. “As part of a whole-of-nation approach, we are working closely with DRDO, industry, startups, academia and national institutions to convert indigenous ideas into battlefield capabilities,” he added.

Box: Every soldier should operate a drone: Army Chief

Speaking on drones and indigenous technologies, Gen Dwivedi reiterated his vision of “Eagle on the Arm”.

“This means every soldier should have an ‘Eagle’ in hand.” When I say ‘Eagle’, I am talking about drones,” he said.

“Every soldier should have the capability to fly a drone. Training has already been underway at academies with simulators and practical exposure. During my visit to NDA in Dec, I provided the Army Training Team with large drones and simulators so that cadets are prepared for the future battlefield,” he said.