Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC), highlighted the growing contribution of defence companies, particularly from the private sector, in shaping the country’s technological preparedness for modern warfare during the CAPSS-IMR Seminar.Addressing senior officers, industry representatives and defence researchers at the event, Air Marshal Dixit said defence firms are now involved across key military projects and infrastructure development. “Defence companies have stepped up at every turn, designing resilient communication networks, advanced EW suits, and even satellites for real-time command and control. The private sector role is now vital.”
He noted that their involvement has expanded into high-technology areas that will influence future combat capabilities. “They are building the next generation of AI-driven weapons, modular battle management systems, high-risk surveillance drones, and indigenous cyber defence tools.”The Air Marshal pointed out that collaboration between the government and industry has become essential for self-reliance in defence manufacturing. “This public-private synergy is powering a new era of Aatmanirbhar military innovation. Operation Sindoor has also taught us the value of electronic warfare and cyber resilience…”Highlighting the need for integrated defence operations across multiple domains, he added that future warfare will no longer be restricted to traditional battlefields. “In our future network-centric operations, every domain will count. Land, air, sea, space, cyber, electronic and cognitive. We must integrate them all, and we are working towards that…”The seminar was attended by Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari, Dr. Manoj Kumar Dhaka, DS & DG DEAL, DRDO, along with several serving and retired officers.