Chief of Defence Staff Anil Chauhan on Wednesday called for a doctrinal and technological shift in India’s military strategy, urging the armed forces to transition from net-centric operations to “Intelligent Warfare” and move beyond Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) towards All Realm All Domain Operations (ARADO).
Addressing the annual seminar on ‘Multi-Domain Integrated Technologically-Empowered Resilient Armed Forces (MITRA)’ at the College of Defence Management in Secunderabad on February 24, the CDS said warfare is rapidly expanding from the physical domain into synthetic and cognitive realms.
“As warfare expands from the physical to the synthetic and cognitive realms, the Indian Armed Forces need to transition from net-centric operations toward Intelligent Warfare and move beyond Multi-Domain Operations to All Realm All Domain Operations,” he said.
General Chauhan highlighted what he described as the “Third Revolution in Military Affairs”, characterised by Convergence Warfare — the fusion of contact and non-contact, kinetic and non-kinetic, and traditional and emerging domains across all levels of conflict.
He also underscored the need to establish credible non-nuclear strategic deterrence to ensure the ability to prevail at every rung of escalation.
The two-day seminar, held on February 24–25, was organised by CDM with the Indian School of Business as knowledge partner.
This year’s theme, ‘MITRA’, reflects the evolving role of military and war-fighting strategies in an increasingly complex geopolitical and technological environment.
According to officials, the seminar served as a strategic platform to align contemporary conflict lessons with India’s operational realities, with a focus on self-reliance and structural reforms. The objective is to develop armed forces that are multi-domain in vision, integrated in action, technology-empowered in execution, and resilient in purpose.
Senior defence officials, scholars, industry representatives and practitioners participated in the seminar, which aimed at fostering intellectual discourse and strategic foresight for strengthening comprehensive national power and preparing for future contestations.
Established in December 1970, the College of Defence Management remains a premier tri-service institution dedicated to equipping military leadership with contemporary management concepts and best practices. Over the years, its annual seminars have addressed key themes ranging from strategic challenges and self-reliance to geopolitical power shifts and leadership transformation, contributing to shaping India’s military preparedness for the future.
