Rajnath Singh on future of warfare: 'Need to master triangle of technology, strategy and adaptability'

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said India had never sought war, it had never initiated aggression against anyone and it did not harbour an aggressive intent, but if challenged, the nation would respond with strength.

He was speaking at ‘Ran Samwad’ (conversation about warfare), a two-day (Aug 26-27) brainstorming seminar titled “Impact of Technology on Warfare” and hosted by the Army War College here.

The minister said, “India has never been a nation that seeks war. We have never initiated aggression against anyone. Even though we do not harbour any aggressive intent, if someone challenges us, it becomes imperative that we respond with strength.”

He said it was the breakdown of dialogue that often became the root cause of hostility and conflict. However, even in the times of war, maintaining channels of dialogue remains essential.

Speaking about the changing nature of war, the minister said the present era was defined by non-linear and multi-domain warfare. “Today, there is no fixed system of war, no rigid doctrine that we can blindly rely upon. In the present age, there is no definite peculiar form of war,” said Rajnath Singh.

"In just 10-20 years, the pace of these changes has been so rapid, that fixing any permanent pattern had become almost impossible. It would not be wrong to say that the age we live in has just one doctrine – that there is none,” he added.

Circumstances and challenges change with such speed that every nation is compelled to keep its strategy flexible and responsive, he added.

He said future wars would not merely be battles of weapons; they would be a combined play of technology, intelligence, economy and diplomacy.

On the future of warfare, he suggested the need to master the “triangle of technology, strategy and adaptability” to emerge as a true global power. “India needs to continuously enhance defence preparedness and technological advancement is important,” he added.

In the 21^st century, this transformation has become even more rapid. The sheer number of soldiers or the size of weapon stockpiles is no longer enough. Cyber warfare, artificial intelligence, unmanned aerial vehicles and satellite-based surveillance are shaping the wars of the future. Precision-guided weapons, real-time intelligence and data-driven information have now become the cornerstone of success in any conflict, the minister said.

Modern battles are no longer confined to land, sea and air; they now extend into outer space and cyberspace. Satellite systems, anti-satellite weapons and space command centres are the new instruments of power, the minister concluded.