Chief of the Army Staff, Gen Upendra Dwivedi, says the Army is gearing up for a “two-and-a-half front challenge” amid evolving threats from China and Pakistan, as well as internal security and grey-zone challenges.
In an interview with TNIE before demitting office on June 30, Gen Dwivedi says the LAC remains “stable but sensitive” and the security situation in the Northeast continues to improve. He also details the Army’s post-Op Sindoor transformation for future warfare. “The future warrior will be a human being amplified by technology, not replaced by it,” he says.
Excerpts:
The China-Pakistan military collusion was evident during Op Sindoor and it is deepening across domains. How is the Army preparing to tackle a coordinated two-front challenge, while also meeting internal security commitments?
The challenge, as I see it, is not merely a two-front threat but a two-and-a-half front challenge. The Army must remain prepared for simultaneous contingencies along the Northern and Western borders while retaining the ability to address internal security challenges, proxy threats and grey-zone activities. This reality is understood and our force posture, planning and capability development are firmly geared towards meeting such contingencies without any dilution of focus.
On the internal security front, operations remain intelligence-driven and are being conducted in close coordination with CAPFs, central agencies and state authorities.
The situation in the Northeast remains stable with violence levels on a sustained decline and positive trends holding across the region.
The Army’s approach to such a threat is unambiguous: Maintain a high state of readiness on both fronts, retain the capability to respond decisively across the full spectrum of conflict and ensure internal stability. Whether the challenge is conventional, sub-conventional or emerging in the grey zone, the Army stands prepared.
The Army has been undergoing significant restructuring, accelerated since Op Sindoor. What is the status of that transformation and what is the next major priority?
The next war will be increasingly shaped by developments in the air, cyber, space, electromagnetic and cognitive domains. The Army’s restructuring is squarely focused on creating more agile, integrated and networked formations capable of delivering decisive impact in shorter timeframes.
Following Op Sindoor, several new structures have been operationalised. The Army has raised 21 Bhairav Battalions to bridge the capability gap between Ghatak platoons and Special Forces, with plans to increase the number to 25.
At the tactical level, around 382 Ashni Drone Platoons are being established to strengthen surveillance, reconnaissance, target acquisition and tactical drone operations. In addition, over 25 Shaktibaan Regiments and more than 34 Divyastra Batteries are under raising to strengthen long-range precision strike capabilities and guiding precision fire. The objective is to ensure that specialised capabilities are available closer to the frontline, where they can directly influence combat operations.
Rudra Brigades are the integrated all-arms formations, bringing together infantry, mechanised forces, armour, artillery, special forces, drones and combat support elements. Two Rudra Brigades have already been raised, with three more planned based on operational requirements, terrain and threat assessments. These formations are expected to provide commanders greater flexibility and the ability to rapidly generate combat power.
The Integrated Battle Group (IBG) concept has undergone extensive testing and refinement. As part of the next phase, a mountain strike corps is planned to be reorganised into IBGs in the near term. Alongside this, Electronic Warfare (EW) Brigades are being raised to improve the Army’s ability to operate in a contested electromagnetic environment. More organisations are also under development to address emerging challenges in the information domain.
The priority now is to ensure that these formations are fully equipped, trained, networked, and integrated into operational plans. Every new structure must deliver tangible operational benefits, expand commanders’ options on the battlefield and strengthen the Army’s ability to achieve decisive outcomes in future conflicts.
Op Sindoor showed the impact of UAVs, persistent surveillance and networked warfare. How are we maintaining an operational edge in this increasingly transparent battlespace?
UAVs are no longer niche platforms and recent conflicts explain why. They stalk armour, guide precision fires, support logistics, relay communications and shape the information space. But the threat cuts both ways. Hostile unmanned systems have made detection, jamming, spoofing and neutralisation equally critical. The battlefield today is layered, three-dimensional and simultaneously active across land, air, sea, cyber, space, the electromagnetic spectrum and the cognitive domain.
Drones are one component of a wider networked multi-domain ecosystem, not stand-alone equipment. Tiered, role-based and integrated, their real value will come when feeds are fused with artillery, air defence, aviation, intelligence, electronic warfare and ground manoeuvre through secure networks, compressing sensor-to-shooter and sensor-to-decision cycles to decisive effect.
Op Sindoor demonstrated what this looks like in practice. Ground intelligence, cyber and EW inputs, air power, information management and strategic signalling functioned as mutually enabling elements. That experience is being institutionalised through joint doctrines, MDO wargaming, electronic warfare brigades, information warfare structures and data-centric command systems.
The future warrior will be a human being amplified by tech, not replaced by it. Smart Boots on the Ground, Eagle on the Arm, Ears on the Net, Eyes in the Sky and Mind in the Cloud. That is the Army’s vision.
How would you assess the current security situation along the LAC?
The situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) shared with China remains stable but sensitive, with disengagement agreements helping ease tensions at key friction points. Both sides have shown greater responsiveness to each other’s concerns, contributing to a gradual improvement in the overall relationship over the past two years.
The thaw is visible. Interactions between commanders at various levels have become more frequent, helping address routine issues, reduce misunderstandings and build confidence along the border.
Several steps towards normalisation are also underway. These include the creation of an experts group for boundary delimitation and a working group for border management. Military engagement mechanisms remain active. More than 1,100 interactions take place annually between Indian and Chinese troops at the ground level. These include meetings, hotlines and other established channels that help resolve local issues and maintain stability along the frontier.
Whenever friction points emerge, they are addressed through military-to-military dialogue, flag meetings and commander-level talks. These mechanisms have also facilitated patrolling and other routine activities, including grazing and religious engagements in border areas. Engagement with China will continue where necessary but India’s military posture along the northern borders will remain firm, credible and combat-ready.
As you look to the future, what are the key capabilities and reforms the Army must prioritise to remain ready for the next war?
In practical terms, our priority areas include multi-platform and multi-sensor real-time surveillance, long-range precision fires, advanced artillery, precision-guided munitions, air defence, UAS and counter-UAS systems and AI-enabled decision support. Alongside these, we are also modernising tanks, anti-tank systems, soldier equipment, cyber capabilities, electronic warfare, logistics systems and battlefield communication networks.
India’s security environment requires us to retain strong conventional capabilities, but future battlefields will also demand drones, counter-drone systems, hypersonics, directed-energy weapons (DEWs), cyber, electronic warfare, autonomous systems and resilient networks. Therefore, capability development is being aligned with operational needs, emerging threats and the realities of a dynamic battlespace.
Importantly, we need Indian solutions for Indian challenges because our terrain, threat matrix and operational requirements are unique. Through the Integrated Capability Development Plan (ICDP) and Annual Acquisition Plan (AAP), we are also following a structured process that factors in emerging threats, indigenous design and development capability and the available resource envelope.