Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on Tuesday, while addressing the 16th Combined Commanders’ Conference in Kolkata, called on the armed forces to stay prepared for emerging, non-traditional security challenges and adapt beyond conventional warfare strategies.
Highlighting that the nature of warfare is evolving rapidly, Singh stressed that the military must be ready to tackle threats in new domains such as information, ideology, ecology, and biology.
“Modern wars are sudden and unpredictable; they can last two months, a year, or even five years. We must be ready for all possibilities and maintain adequate surge capacity,” he said.
Singh reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “JAI” vision — Jointness, Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance), and Innovation, as the guiding principles for strengthening India’s defence sector.
He underlined the significance of seamless coordination between the Army, Navy, Air Force, and other agencies of defence, along with achieving strategic autonomy through domestic defence production.
He noted that defence indigenisation not only creates employment and boosts the economy but also strengthens shipyards, aerospace clusters, and defence corridors.
Referring to the successful execution of Operation Sindoor after the Pahalgam terror attack, Singh praised the armed forces for demonstrating India’s capability to counter any threat with both courage and indigenous technology.
Calling for greater collaboration between industry and academia, he announced that a concrete action plan has been formulated for the “Sudarshana Chakra” initiative, with a five-year medium-term and ten-year long-term roadmap.
To improve efficiency in military procurement, Singh revealed that the Defence Procurement Manual 2025 has been approved, and the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 is being revised to reduce delays and ensure faster delivery of critical systems to the forces.
The conference was attended by senior defence leadership, including Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, and Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh.
