‘India Must Be Ready For Short-Term And Prolonged Wars’: CDS Anil Chauhan

Last Updated:December 23, 2025, 16:42 IST

Without naming specific neighbours, he indicated that India faces strategic challenges from two nuclear-capable adversaries and stressed that deterrence must not be allowed to fail

CDS Anil Chauhan (Image: PTI/File photo)

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan on Monday said India must be prepared to deal with both short-duration, high-intensity military engagements and longer, land-based conflicts, citing terrorism and unresolved territorial disputes as key security challenges.

Speaking at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, General Chauhan outlined the evolving threat environment facing the country.

Without naming specific neighbours, he indicated that India faces strategic challenges from two nuclear-capable adversaries and stressed that deterrence must not be allowed to fail.

“India’s preparedness has to be guided by two realities. Both our adversaries are nuclear-capable, one a nuclear weapons state and the other a nuclear-armed state. Under no circumstances should deterrence be breached," he said, according to PTI.

General Chauhan explained that the nature of threats required a dual approach. “We must be capable of fighting short, high-intensity conflicts to counter terrorism, similar to operations conducted in the past. At the same time, given existing land disputes, we must also be ready for prolonged, land-centric conflicts, though every effort should be made to prevent such situations," he added.

Addressing changes in the character of warfare, the CDS said the world is entering what he described as a third revolution in military affairs, marked by “convergence warfare."

He noted that a wide range of emerging technologies—such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, hypersonics, advanced materials, robotics and edge computing—are reshaping how wars are fought.

General Chauhan emphasised that future conflicts will demand integrated operations across multiple domains.

“Multi-domain operations will no longer be a choice but a necessity, as actions in one domain increasingly affect others," he said, pointing to recent military operations as evidence.

He noted that such operations require not only advanced capabilities but also seamless coordination among the Army, Navy and Air Force, along with cyber, space and cognitive warfare units.

Effective command, control and synchronisation across these forces, he said, would be critical to success in future conflicts.

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