General Dwivedi (File photo)
NEW DELHI: Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Saturday said future conflicts would extend beyond conventional battlefields and be fought across multiple domains, including cyber, space and cognitive warfare, and also said that the armed forces are fully prepared for ‘Operation Sindoor 2.0’ if the need arises.Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the NDA passing-out parade in Pune, General Dwivedi said, “As far as Operation Sindoor is concerned, firstly, it is still continuing. There is a temporary cessation of hostilities. So the Indian Army and all the three services are preparing well for Operation Sindoor 2.0 if it takes place,” he said. He said future warfare will not be limited to land, maritime and air alone, but would be increasingly influenced by emerging domains such as space, cyber and cognitive warfare.Modern battlefields have become highly transparent, General Dwivedi said, adding that military planners must remain cautious about deployments and force protection measures.Explaining the need for AI-driven systems, the Army chief technologies help optimise the use of resources and improve operational efficiency on the battlefield. To explain it, he said, “In today’s environment, we also have numerous drones coming. Now, you need counter-drone equipment, and you need to apply your own drones. Therefore, the resources present on the battlefield are enormous. To handle such resources, you need some kind of automation, and artificial intelligence plays a very pivotal role.”On information warfare, the General said, “Victory is always in the mind. It’s not on the ground. Therefore, information warfare is only successful if the whole of the nation gets together and trusts the people who are giving the information. If that happens, I can assure you that the nation which trusts each other and all these stakeholders will always win the war.”The General said the Indian Army is fully conscious of modernisation transformation. “We are transforming ourselves into a future-ready force under the ‘Decade of Transformation’, wherein the role of the younger generation would be pivotal,” he said.
