Army chief outlines 'set of springboards' to transform the force, make it future-ready

New Delhi: Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi on Thursday said the world has moved from the Cold War's bipolarity through a brief unipolar moment into an "uncertain and fractured order", as he underlined that the long peace is declining and comprehensive conflicts are on the rise.

In his address at the inaugural session of the third edition of Chanakya Defence Dialogue, a key conclave hosted by the Army here, he outlined a "set of springboards" that will drive the years of transformation ahead for the force, so as to remain decisive and future-ready in this rapidly-evolving global landscape.

"We are living in an increasingly multipolar world, where major powers are continuously jostling and competing. The world has moved from the Cold War's bipolarity through a brief unipolar moment, into an uncertain and fractured order. The long peace is declining, and comprehensive conflicts are on the rise," Gen Dwivedi said.

He underlined that with over 50 ongoing conflicts world over, to say "we live in turbulent times, may actually be an understatement".

So, if the globe is swivelling towards national security, deterrence and war-fighting, it inevitably "raises a fundamental question for us -- how must the Indian military transform to remain decisive and ready in this rapidly-evolving global landscape," the Army chief said.

The starting point to this question lies in the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 5Ss approach -- 'Samman, Samvad, Sayog, Samridhi, and Suraksha', meaning respect, dialogue, cooperation, prosperity and security, the general officer said.

It guides how the whole-of-nation ecosystem must deliberate, coordinate and act through the 'Amrit Kal' towards a Viksit Bharat, he asserted.

The theme of Chanakya Defence Dialogue 2025 is "Reform to Transform: Sashakt and Aur Surakshit Bharat".

Senior officials of the Indian armed forces, and defence and strategic affairs experts from India and abroad, have gathered in Delhi for this two-day conclave hosted at the Maneksahw Centre in Delhi Cantonment.

In his address, Gen 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.

The phase one, 'hop', set the agenda for the journey of the force by 2032.

Phase two, for 2037 vision, is a five-year consolidated period, drawing on the gains from phase one, and phase three, 'jump', with a 2047 vision, to graduate to the next level of "integrated future-ready force design", Gen Dwivedi said.

This trajectory has been further strengthened by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh earlier designating 2025 as the 'Year of Reforms' and it proved its merit in Operation Sindoor, where years of reforms and readiness, translated into "decisive outcomes".

"So, as we carry this sovereign strategic success forward for future operations, and the larger aspirations of a Sashakt, Surakhshit and Viksit Bharat, the real question before us is what must propel our next leap," the Army chief said.

He outlined a set of springboards that will drive the years of transformation ahead.

The first one is 'atmanirbharta', the self-reliance and empowerment through indigenisation.

The second one is accelerated innovation, he said, adding, "we must now move on from experimentation to enterprise-scale impact at a much faster pace in AI, cyber, quantum, autonomous systems, space and advanced materials."

The other two springboards are adaptation and military-civil fusion.

Gen Dwivedi said he was confident that this conclave will deliver "actionable items".

President Droupadi Murmu was the chief guest at the inaugural session.

"Your presence here today as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is an inspiration, and acts as a catalyst in a journey to become a future-ready force capable of effective deterrence, and to prosecute decisive multi-domain operations," Gen Dwivedi said.

Murmu in her address said the the success of Operation Sindoor stands as a "defining moment" in the country's counter-terror and deterrence strategy, and asserted that the world took note of not only India's military capability but also its "moral clarity to act firmly, yet responsibly" in the pursuit of peace.

She emphasised that guided by India's civilisational ethos of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam', "we have shown that strategic autonomy can coexist with global responsibility".

The President asserted that the Indian armed forces have exemplified professionalism and patriotism in guarding the sovereignty of India.

On October 31, in his address at an event here, the Army chief had said that warfare is becoming increasingly "non-kinetic and non-contact" owing to multiple factors and therefore it demanded a response that requires military strength, and intellectual, technological and moral preparedness.

Earlier this months, at another event marking the curtain-raiser for the Chanakya Defence Dialogue 2025, Gen Dwivedi had said, "With Operation Sindoor, only a trailer was shown" and after 88 hours it was over.