New Delhi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday urged the military to strengthen both the offensive and defensive aspects of the “element of surprise” to maintain combat readiness against conventional and emerging threats posed by the evolving nature of modern warfare.
The defence minister added that a rapidly shifting security environment demands continuous adaptation and a forward-looking approach to military preparedness. He minister called upon the Indian Air Force to develop dedicated doctrines and architectures for emerging domains of warfare, including electronic, cyber and space.
“Our defence forces must develop capabilities and methods that leave the adversary with no time to react or recover, while simultaneously ensuring that we are never caught off guard by an unexpected move from the enemy,” he said. Referring to the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts, the defence minister said drones and air defence systems have emerged as critical components of modern warfare. “Victory in future conflicts would depend not merely on the number of aircraft, but also on technological sophistication, speed of response and precision of preparations,” he said, urging the commanders to make these emerging challenges a core priority, with focus on integrating them into institutional thinking, planning and operational processes.
He reiterated the government’s commitment to incorporating the services’ suggestions into policy decisions and expressed confidence that the “Second Tour of Duty” for the Agniveers would contribute to further bolstering the three services. The initiative marks a significant milestone in the force’s pursuit of technology-driven transformation and enhanced operational capabilities, the defence ministry said.
