Modern Warfare No Longer Bound By Geography: Army Chief

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) Srinagar- Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi on Thursday said modern warfare is no longer confined to geographical boundaries or dominated by a single service, stressing that future conflicts will be defined by seamless integration across multiple domains.

Addressing the“Ran Samvad” forum on Land Forces Visualisation of Multi Domain Operations (MDO), the Army Chief described Operation Sindoor as a“defining case study” that demonstrated India's progression towards domain jointness.

ADVERTISEMENT

Referring to India's military response in May last year following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 tourists dead, he said the operation highlighted how coordinated action across domains can shape outcomes on the battlefield.

“Operation Sindoor was India's most powerful tool of progression towards domain jointness. But we need to achieve domain integration and fusion,” he said.

Dwivedi explained that his vision of Multi Domain Operations is not one where different domains function in parallel, but where they remain in constant dynamic interaction, with the lead shifting depending on the operational requirement.

He said warfare today is“dispersed, undeclared, multi-theatre and multi-domain,” adding that the real challenge lies in orchestrating seamless interaction across the battlespace.

“The question is not whether domains interact, it is how the interface is orchestrated,” he said.

Drawing a distinction between the land domain and land forces, the Army Chief said the former refers to the operational space, while the latter comprises actors across all six domains-land, air, maritime, cyber, space and cognitive-working in a shared environment.

He underlined that these domains are no longer isolated but function through dynamic synergy.

Elaborating on the evolving nature of conflict, Dwivedi said modern battlefields have transformed into layered, three-dimensional constructs.

ADVERTISEMENT

“In MDO, the battlefield is no longer a line on a map. It is three-dimensional, where cyber effects shape the cognitive space, space assets cue targets, and electronic warfare contests every frequency simultaneously,” he said.

Read Also Army Chief Reviews Counter-Terror Ops, Pushes Advanced Tech Use Army Chief in Poonch, Reviews Operational Preparedness

He emphasised that commanders must develop cross-domain situational awareness, spanning tactical to strategic levels.

Highlighting the operational lessons from Operation Sindoor, the Army Chief said it involved a combination of ground intelligence, cyber capabilities and electronic warfare inputs that enabled joint targeting by the Army and Air Force, while the Navy's positioning influenced the broader strategic calculus.

“No single domain decided the operation,” he said, describing such mutually reinforcing actions as the essence of Multi Domain Operations.

Dwivedi said the future of warfare lies in integration and fusion of capabilities, rather than isolated or service-specific approaches, calling for continued efforts to strengthen jointness across the armed forces.

MENAFN09042026000215011059ID1110965091