Army chief General Dwivedi: Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Tuesday spoke strongly about how the army decides the outcome of any war. He said very clearly that control of land will always remain “the currency of victory” in India’s case. Dwivedi explained that India faces many kinds of threats from China, Pakistan and also from counter insurgency, so the army has to prepare for longer wars and also must bring in stronger technology and longer range weapons.
He gave his speech during a function that the All India Management Association had organised. While speaking, he pointed out how different wars in the past had shown new lessons. According to Hindustan Times, he said, “When you go back to the Alaska conference that took place between the two presidents, they just discussed how much land has to change hands,” while talking about the August 15 summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin on ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
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He explained that for the navy and air force the aim is mostly about destruction, but for the army the aim is to take land, keep it, and also push the enemy out. He said “Others (navy, air force) will look at destruction as the only kind of action that they are required to take. But in the case of land forces or army, it is the eviction and occupation of land which is important. In India, since we have a 2.5-front threat (China, Pakistan and counter insurgency), land will remain the currency of victory.”
Lessons From Recent Conflicts
The army chief also spoke about the way wars are changing. He gave examples from the Russia-Ukraine war, the Iran-Iraq war, and even India’s own Operation Sindoor.
He said, “When Russia went to war (with Ukraine), we always thought that this war would last only for 10 days. The Iran-Iraq war lasted for 10 years. But when it came to Operation Sindoor, we were not sure for how many days it would carry on and most of us were saying, why is it finished in a four-day test match…We need to understand what technology is available with the other side to sustain the war for a longer period. We should be able to make sure that we have enough to last for a longer war.”
He explained how the Union War Book was not officially invoked during Operation Sindoor but still many of its steps were followed. “The operation was an amalgam of everything…soldiers to various commanders, scientists, policymakers…to the extent that the Union War Book was not invoked, but certain actions that were required to be taken were taken in a pre-emptive manner. It was a whole-of-nation approach. I can say all the right boxes of the war book were ticked without invoking it,” he said.
Dwivedi also reminded how India launched Operation Sindoor in May after the April Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. Between May 7 and May 10, Indian forces hit nine terror camps inside Pakistan and PoK, killed at least 100 terrorists, and also targeted 13 Pakistani airbases and military sites.
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He stressed how this showed modern wars were not always about borders alone. “They were diffused, dispersed and pervasive. This time you saw we did not know where the missiles were landed, where the drones were, and we also know what kind of cyberattacks were taking place. There was no frontline or border.”
Technology and Future
He put strong focus on technology and how India must keep pace with enemies. “If you have low-cost, high-technology, you will be able to beat back a superior adversary…Force protection is also new thing because you should be able to take the onslaught of the enemy barrage and, thereafter, carry out the required actions…Force visualisation, force protection and force application are the three things are the main things we need to work out.”
The chief also spoke of making long-term partnerships with Indian industry. He said, “It’s our job to give you the long-term visibility of our requirements…and thereafter should we change the goalposts…The goalposts will keep changing. If I wanted something to fire at 100 km today, tomorrow it has to go to 300 km. Because it is not only me, the adversary is also enhancing his technology. I need to completely make sure that my technological level is ready to beat his technological impact. Here, atmanirbharta (self-reliance) becomes important.”
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He also gave numbers for weapon development. “Loitering munitions from the current 100-150 km to 750 km as technology moves, missiles from a particular range today to much beyond…or to the nuclear missile ranges that we have…rockets from 70 km to 300 km. Sky is the limit as far as aspirations are concerned…but can you (industry) provide it, is it possible?”
He ended by reminding everyone that technology is moving very fast and the army cannot manage it alone. “So we are looking at the troika of academia, industry and military. Wherever there is synergy and higher guidance, things will move very fast. The projected defence spending every year from 2025 to 2035 is ₹3 lakh crore with at least 10% increase every year. I think that’s enough to stimulate and catalyse the growth of a cross-domain atmanirbhar ecosystem that synchronises its efforts to deliver cutting edge solutions,” Dwivedi said.
