From Cyber to Cognitive: Northern Command tests India's multi-domain defence

Udhampur: Northern Command recently conducted a four-day tri-service multi-domain exercise, which increased India's readiness to face future conflicts. Tri-services, a multi-domain exercise on futuristic warfare, concluded at Northern Command in 2025, considerably increasing advanced domain operational preparedness. The exercise prompted commanders, staff, and troops to tackle emerging threats in the cyber, space, electromagnetic, and cognitive domains. (Tri-services multi-domain exercise on futuristic warfare concludes at Northern Command, 2025) CAPF participation, along with other services, government agencies, and private sector partners, reflected a desire for an integrated national security strategy. Domestic defence industry partner participation reflected advancement toward joint operations, self-sufficiency, and innovation. Ground forces operating in forward positions were subjected to actual situations of cyber incursions, spectrum flooding, electronic jamming, spoofing, and cognitive warfare. The exercise not only validated their resilience but also re-emphasised the significance of being adaptable in the wake of hybrid and multi-domain threats.

Addressing the troops, Lt Gen Pratik Sharma, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, spoke about the changing face of warfare. "In contemporary warfare, the distinctions are getting erased between domains; therefore, we must utilise niche technologies and continue innovating. A whole-of-nation approach will be needed to safeguard our territorial integrity and vital assets as well as unleash punishment on the enemy if the situation demands so," he said. The exercise was the culmination of the strategic dialogue – Samvad, conducted in Mathura on October 4, highlighting the importance of open-mindedness and free exchange in planning for impending conflicts. With this successful exercise, the Northern Command is better integrated, technologically advanced, and operationally ready to counter nascent threats with strategic insight and multidomain synergy.