Army ready for ‘Operation Sindoor 2.0’ if required, says General Upendra Dwivedi

The armed forces are fully prepared for lsquoOperation Sindoor 20rsquo if the need arises Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi said on Saturday asserting that all three services are enhancing synergy for modern multidomain warfare that extends beyond land air and seaSpeaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the passingout parade of the 150th course of the National Defence Academy NDA in Khadakwasla General Dwivedi noted that while a temporary cessation of hostilities currently exists all three services are preparing intensely for the next phase should it occur reported PTIIndia launched Operation Sindoor a military operation to destroy terror infrastructure in Pakistan in May 2025 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives in AprilldquoAs far as Operation Sindoor is concerned firstly it is still continuing There is a temporary cessation of hostilities So the Indian Army and all the three services are preparing well for Operation Sindoor 20 if it takes placerdquo he saidlsquoFuture warfare will extend beyond land air and searsquoGeneral Dwivedi said future warfare would not be limited to land maritime and air domains alone but would increasingly be influenced by emerging domains such as space cyber and cognitive warfareModern battlefields have become highly transparent he said adding that military planners must remain cautious about deployments and force protection measuresldquoWhat we have seen over a period of time is 247 surveillance The battlefield is so transparent that every movement is known to the other side Therefore we have to be very cautious in terms of our deployment employment and the protection required for our troops as well as civilians in border areasrdquo he said reported PTIlsquoVictory is always in the mindrsquoReferring to lessons from Operation Sindoor General Dwivedi said public trust and national cohesion would remain decisive factors in future conflictsldquoVictory is always in the mind Itrsquos not on the ground Therefore information warfare is only successful if the whole nation comes together and trusts the people who are giving the informationrdquo he saidldquoIf that happens I can assure you that the nation whose people trust each other and all stakeholders will always win the warrdquo the Army Chief addedOperation Sindoor highlighted integrated warfare capabilitiesThe Army Chief said Operation Sindoor demonstrated Indiarsquos resolve and the armed forcesrsquo ability to deliver a calibrated precise and purposeful responseldquoThis operation underlined the importance of integrated planning realtime intelligence precision targeting strong air defence secure communications and synergy across domainsrdquo he said reported PTIGeneral Dwivedi added that the Indian Army is actively transforming into a futureready force under the lsquoDecade of Transformationrsquo with younger officers and soldiers expected to play a pivotal roleHe noted that the raising of drone battalions Divyastra batteries Shaktiman regiments and Bhairav battalions along with other technologyenabled structures is part of this transformationlsquoEvery soldier should have a drone capabilityrsquoSpeaking about the growing role of drones and indigenous weapon systems General Dwivedi said he has consistently advocated the concept of ldquoEagle on the ArmrdquoldquoThis means every soldier should have an lsquoeaglersquo in their hand Every soldier should have the capability to fly a drone You have seen that training for this is ongoing in our academies and other places and simulators are also being usedrdquo he saidTheatre command process on lsquoright trackrsquoThe Army Chief further said the longawaited military theatre command process is on the ldquoright trackrdquo with deliberations within the Chiefs of Staff Committee completed and a report submitted to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for reviewldquoAll major concerns and interests of the three services have been accommodated in the proposed structurerdquo he said the news agency reportedGeneral Dwivedi added that service chiefs would continue to be responsible for ldquoraise train and sustainrdquo while theatre commanders would oversee operational orchestration of forcesldquoWe are hopeful that under the new CDS setup the journey will move forward and in the next two to three years we should be able to see it implemented on the groundrdquo he said PTI reportedArmy Chief addresses NDA cadets at passingout paradeEarlier in the day General Dwivedi reviewed the passingout parade of the 150th course at NDA Khadakwasla where he said Operation Sindoor had set a benchmark for how India responds to provocation with ldquoprecision and resolverdquoldquoFrom contested grey zones to highvelocity hybrid warfare todayrsquos security environment demands that those who serve must think sharply as they actrdquo he saidldquoOperation Sindoor demonstrated that and set the benchmark when national will was expressed with precision and resolve That standard now belongs to you to upholdrdquo he told the cadetsCalling the occasion ldquopoignant and deeply personalrdquo General Dwivedi recalled passing out from the same quarterdeck over 42 years agoldquoToday as I stand before you at the far end of a life in uniform preparing to doff mine as you prepare to don yours I can tell you with certainty what you begin here endures foreverrdquo he saidWith PTI inputs