Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Friday presented a comprehensive assessment of India’s strategic threats, outlining six major challenges confronting the nation’s security environment. Speaking at an event in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, the country’s top military official said that the unresolved boundary dispute with China remains the foremost national security challenge.

The protracted tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), marked by recurrent friction in eastern Ladakh and other sectors, were described as the single most destabilizing factor for India’s long-term security planning and resource allocation.

The second major threat highlighted by General Chauhan stems from Pakistan’s continued pursuit of a proxy war doctrine. He emphasized Islamabad’s long-standing strategy of “bleeding India by a thousand cuts,” wherein the objective is to continuously inflict damage on India through terror strikes, cross-border infiltration, and asymmetric attacks while avoiding escalatory thresholds. He stressed that India’s patience in tolerating such tactics was deliberately tested by Pakistan-backed networks, necessitating decisive responses such as Operation Sindoor.

General Chauhan identified regional instability as the third national security concern. Pointing to political, social, and economic crises in India’s immediate neighbourhood—including volatility in Pakistan, unrest in Myanmar, and fragile democratic institutions in smaller South Asian states—the CDS highlighted how such turbulence inevitably spills over into India’s strategic security matrix. He cautioned that instability in the Indian Ocean Region and West Asia also reverberates through India’s economy, security, and counter-terror posture.

The fourth major challenge, according to the CDS, lies in preparing for future warfare that will transcend traditional domains of land, air, and sea. He underscored that modern conflict will increasingly expand into space, cyber, electronic, and electromagnetic domains. This technological transformation will demand rapid adjustments in force posture, doctrine, and systems integration. The armed forces, he said, must adapt continuously to remain ahead of adversaries in a battlespace that is evolving at high velocity.

As the fifth challenge, General Chauhan stressed the complexity of dealing simultaneously with two nuclear-armed adversaries—China and Pakistan. The dual-front threat creates ambiguity about the nature of conventional warfare India might engage in, demanding careful calibration of operations while ensuring deterrence stability. He described this dilemma as unique and multi-layered, requiring both force readiness and diplomatic finesse.

The sixth challenge pinpointed by General Chauhan was technology itself. He noted that rapid advances in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, drones, long-range precision weaponry, and electronic warfare, were changing the character of war. The challenge for India, he emphasized, was not only to acquire and deploy new-age capabilities but to integrate them meaningfully across the tri-services, while countering asymmetric technological threats from adversaries.

In his address, the CDS also offered detailed insights into Operation Sindoor, the May 7–10 joint tri-service military response conducted in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. General Chauhan disclosed that the armed forces were granted full operational freedom during the operation. Its objectives were two-fold: to avenge the terror strike and to signal a clear “red line” against future cross-border terrorism.

He credited National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval with playing a crucial role in providing strategic guidance, which included target selection, calibration of troop deployment to prevent escalation, a framework for de-escalation, and diplomatic engagement to manage fallout.

The CDS underscored that Operation Sindoor was a multi-domain operation, showcasing synchronized efforts between the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Synergies were particularly visible in communication integration, combined air-defence arrangements, and counter-drone measures. Beyond its tactical utility, the operation was presented as a demonstration of India’s capacity to mount large-scale joint responses and to impose costs for acts of terrorism.

General Chauhan closed his address with a broader reflection that “war is an extension of politics,” underlining that India’s security environment is deeply shaped by shifting geopolitical currents. The real challenge, he said, lies in balancing deterrence, preparedness, and adaptability in an era where threats converge from traditional adversaries, regional unrest, and disruptive new technologies.

Based On A PTI Report