Defence Minister Rajnath Singh emphasised the evolving nature of warfare during the convocation ceremony at the Defence Service Staff College (DSSC).

He highlighted that traditional concepts of war are being redefined in the current era of "grey zone" and hybrid warfare. Singh pointed out that cyber-attacks, disinformation campaigns, and economic warfare have emerged as tools to achieve politico-military objectives without direct military engagement.

These methods, combined with advancements in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous systems, are reshaping the character of war beyond conventional battlefields of land, sea, and air.

Singh stressed the importance of joint operations across multi-domain environments, including cyber, space, and information warfare, which are now as critical as traditional military operations.

He underscored the need for India's armed forces to adapt to these challenges by leveraging emerging technologies such as drones, AI-based systems, and quantum computing.

He also called for a strategic approach to anticipate future conflicts and innovate solutions to address unconventional threats like proxy wars and terrorism emanating from neighbouring regions.

The Defence Minister reiterated India's commitment to building a robust and self-reliant defence ecosystem.

He advocated for "adaptive defence" strategies that continuously evolve to counter emerging threats effectively. Singh noted that modern security challenges require collaboration across institutions to safeguard India’s economic and strategic interests in an increasingly interconnected world.

PTI