New Delhi: Surgical strikes after the Uri attack in 2017 and the aerial strike this year on a terror camp in Balakot by the Indian Air Force has demonstrated that India has the political will to respond against terror, Indian Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat said on Saturday.

Speaking at an event in New Delhi to commemorate 20 years of the Kargil War Gen Rawat said, a political will along with proactive diplomacy is key for success in military matters

"We are working in a coordinated manner for a cogent and synchronised national response against sub-conventional and asymmetric threats by any adversary. Surgical strikes post-Uri and Balakot have amply demonstrated our political and military resolve against terror. Any act of terror will not go unpunished," he said referring to current challenges for the armed forces and lessons learned from the past.

The reference to the synergy between the military and diplomacy could be in the context of the Doklam standoff with China and Balakot air strikes. In both instances, the military and diplomatic channels made efforts to work in a coordinated manner to leave little scope for speculation.

Speaking of the transformation of the Army since the Kargil War in 1999, Gen Rawat said tri-service wings dedicated to space, cyber and special operations are the way forward for jointness or synergy in the armed forces to combat future challenges.

We have come a long way since Kargil. We need to be prepared for future wars and cannot let our guard down, he said.

He stressed on the need for capability enhancement and fast track procurement.

"While the armed forces have to be prepared for multi-spectrum challenges but at the same time need to be ready for conventional wars," Rawat added.

The Army Chief said the changing dynamics of cyber and space domains is the biggest challenge for the future. We must be prepared for future conflicts that will be more violent and unpredictable as technology will be the key driver in future wars. He talked about threats of cyber attack to critical infrastructure and the constant battle to shape perception in the information domain.