General Upendra Dwivedi, the Chief of the Army Staff of India, undertook a significant two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates, reflecting New Delhi’s sustained effort to deepen defence and strategic ties with key partners in West Asia.

His engagement in Abu Dhabi came at a time when the global security environment is undergoing rapid and complex change, driven primarily by technological disruption, grey-zone tactics, and shifting geopolitical alignments.

A key highlight of the visit was his address to the officers of the UAE National Defence College, where he focused on the evolving global security landscape and the changing character of modern conflict. Speaking to a professional military audience, General Dwivedi underlined that contemporary security challenges are no longer confined to traditional battlefield domains but span land, sea, air, cyber, space, and the information spectrum.

He drew attention to the pace and scale of technological advancement reshaping the conduct of warfare. From artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and cyber capabilities to precision-guided munitions and space-based assets, modern militaries are being compelled to rethink operational doctrines and capability development. General Dwivedi emphasised that technology has become a decisive enabler across strategic, operational, and tactical levels, demanding constant adaptation and innovation.

In his address, the Army Chief highlighted that conflicts today increasingly feature hybrid and multi-domain characteristics. State and non-state actors alike exploit cyber vulnerabilities, information warfare, unmanned systems, and economic tools to achieve strategic objectives without crossing conventional thresholds. He pointed out that the blurring of war and peace, frontlines and hinterland, and military and civilian domains has made the security environment far more complex and unpredictable.

Against this backdrop, General Dwivedi stressed the critical role of senior military leadership in navigating these evolving challenges. He underscored that senior officers must not only understand emerging technologies and new domains of warfare, but also integrate them into doctrine, training, and force structuring. Leadership, he suggested, now requires a combination of traditional operational acumen, technological literacy, and strategic foresight.

He further observed that military leaders have a responsibility to guide their forces through periods of transformation while maintaining high standards of professionalism, readiness, and ethics. In an era of instant communications and heightened public scrutiny, he indicated that leadership must also account for information management, strategic communication, and civil–military relations as integral components of national security.

The Army Chief placed particular emphasis on the importance of collaboration in addressing shared security concerns. He underlined that no country, regardless of its capabilities, can insulate itself from transnational threats such as terrorism, cyber attacks, maritime insecurity, and disruption of critical supply chains. In this context, he argued that strong bilateral and multilateral defence cooperation is indispensable.

General Dwivedi highlighted the strategic convergence between India and the UAE, noting that both countries occupy key positions in their respective regions and share interests in ensuring stability across the Indian Ocean Region and West Asia. He called attention to the benefits of deepening defence ties, including joint training, professional military education, capacity building, and information sharing, all of which contribute to mutual learning and interoperability.

He also pointed out that collaborative arrangements and regular high-level engagements foster better understanding of each other’s doctrines, capabilities, and security priorities. Such understanding, he argued, helps reduce misperceptions, builds trust, and enhances the ability of armed forces to respond in a coordinated manner to emerging contingencies and crises.

The Chief of the Army Staff underscored that defence cooperation between India, the UAE, and other regional partners can generate “symbiotic outcomes”. By this, he implied outcomes in which all parties benefit through shared best practices, combined exercises, exposure to different operating environments, and complementary capability development. These symbiotic engagements, he suggested, have a multiplier effect on regional and global peace and security.

Beyond his address at the National Defence College, General Dwivedi’s visit to the UAE included a formal ceremonial reception, underscoring the importance attached to the relationship by both sides. On arrival, he was accorded a Guard of Honour by the UAE Land Forces, signalling mutual respect and the growing weight of India–UAE defence ties.

During the visit, General Dwivedi held substantive discussions with the senior leadership of the UAE Armed Forces, including Major General Staff Yousef Maayouf Saeed Al Hallami, Commander of the UAE Land Forces. These interactions focused on enhancing positive military engagement and deepening practical cooperation across multiple areas of mutual interest.

The talks reportedly explored avenues for expanding training convergence, including increased participation in courses, joint exercises, and specialised training programmes. By aligning training philosophies and exposure, both armies seek to build familiarity in procedures, tactics, and operational thinking, which is essential for more effective future collaboration.

The discussions also covered broader bilateral defence cooperation, including mechanisms for regular staff talks, exchange of delegations, and institutionalised contacts between training establishments and think tanks. Such frameworks help create a steady pipeline of professional exchanges that keep the relationship active and forward-looking, rather than episodic.

In addition to forward-looking cooperation, General Dwivedi’s programme included a visit to the Land Forces Museum in the UAE. This visit enabled him to gain insights into the historical evolution, traditions, and heritage of the UAE Land Forces. Understanding a partner’s military history and institutional culture is a key part of building durable relationships, as it provides context to present-day structures and operational philosophies.

The Indian Army’s public communications arm, the Additional Directorate General of Public Information, highlighted these engagements through posts on X, signalling transparency and public awareness about India’s growing military diplomacy. By publicly framing the visit around themes such as technology, leadership, and collaboration, the Army also reinforced its own narrative of being a modern, outward-looking force aligned with global trends.

General Dwivedi’s engagements in the UAE fit into India’s larger strategy of expanding defence cooperation with friendly foreign countries, particularly in regions that are critical for energy security, trade routes, and the Indian diaspora. The UAE, as a major economic partner and a key node in the wider Indo–Abrahamic and Indo-Pacific architectures, holds particular significance for New Delhi.

The visit also demonstrated that India’s military diplomacy is increasingly multi-dimensional. It covers high-level strategic dialogue, professional military education exchanges, ceremonial and symbolic gestures, and practical cooperation in training and capability development. Collectively, these strands strengthen mutual confidence and create a resilient defence partnership.

Regional security dynamics, including instability in parts of West Asia, maritime security concerns in adjoining waters, and the wider implications of great-power competition, form the backdrop to such high-level visits. Within this setting, India and the UAE appear to be signalling their intent to shape a stable and rules-based regional environment through closer security cooperation.

The Army Chief’s emphasis on technology in modern warfare also resonates with both countries’ broader national agendas. India is pushing for self-reliance in defence manufacturing and indigenous innovation, while the UAE is investing heavily in advanced defence technologies and defence-industrial partnerships.

Enhanced military-to-military cooperation can complement these national efforts by identifying areas for joint experimentation, concepts development, and potentially, in the long term, industrial collaboration.

Following the conclusion of his engagements in the UAE, General Dwivedi is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka from 7 to 8 January. This sequencing underlines India’s consistent focus on building strong defence relationships in both its immediate neighbourhood and extended maritime periphery. Together, these visits reflect an integrated approach to military diplomacy, aimed at reinforcing India’s role as a net security provider and a credible, responsible partner.

General Dwivedi’s address at the UAE National Defence College and his interactions with the UAE Armed Forces leadership reinforced three central messages: that the global security environment is undergoing profound transformation driven by technology; that effective, adaptive leadership is indispensable in meeting these challenges; and that robust bilateral and multilateral cooperation is essential to safeguard regional and global peace and security.

Based On ANI Report