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In his address at the inaugural session of the third edition of Chanakya Defense Dialogue, a major conference organized by the Army, he outlined a “set of springboards” that will usher in years of transformation for the force to remain decisive and future-ready in this rapidly evolving global scenario.
General Dwivedi said, “We live in an increasingly multipolar world, where major powers are constantly conflicting and competing. The world has gone from Cold War bipolarity through a brief unipolar moment to an uncertain and fragmented order. Prolonged decline is looming, and broader conflicts are on the rise.”
He underlined that with more than 50 conflicts ongoing around the world, to say that “we live in turbulent times may indeed be an understatement”.
Therefore, if the world is moving towards national security, deterrence and war-fighting, it inevitably “raises a fundamental question for us – how should the Indian Army transform to remain decisive and prepared in this rapidly evolving global scenario,” the Army chief said.
The starting point of this question lies in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 5S approach – ‘Respect, Dialogue, Cooperation, Prosperity and Security’, which means respect, dialogue, cooperation, prosperity and security, the general officer said.
He stressed that it guides how the entire nation’s ecosystem should deliberate, coordinate and work towards a developed India through the ‘Amrit Kaal’.
The theme of Chanakya Defense Dialogue 2025 is “Reform to Transform: Sashakt Aur Surakshit Bharat”.
Senior officers of the Indian Armed Forces and experts on defense and strategic affairs from India and abroad have gathered in Delhi for this two-day conference held at the Manekshaw Centre, Delhi Cantonment.
In his address, General Dwivedi recalled the ‘Decade of Transformation’ vision announced earlier by the Army for the period 2023-2032, and outlined a three-phase plan to make it a future-ready force.
Phase one, ‘HOP’, set the agenda for the force’s journey to 2032.
General Dwivedi said phase two, with a vision of 2037, is a five-year consolidated period, building on the gains made from phase one, and phase three, with a vision of 2047, is a ‘jump’ to the next level of “integrated future-ready force design”.
This trajectory has been further strengthened by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh earlier designating 2025 as the ‘Year of Reforms’ and has proven its worth in Operation Sindoor, where years of reforms and readiness translated into “decisive results”.
“Therefore, as we take this sovereign strategic success forward for future missions and larger aspirations of an empowered, secure and developed India, the real question before us is what should motivate our next leap,” the Army chief said.
He outlined a set of springboards that would lead to years of change.
The first is ‘self-reliance’, self-reliance and empowerment through indigenization.
The second is accelerated innovation, he said, “We must now move from experimentation to enterprise-level impact at a very rapid pace in AI, cyber, quantum, autonomous systems, space and advanced materials.” The other two are springboard adaptation and military-civilian fusion.
General Dwivedi said he was confident that the conference would provide “actionable items”.
President Draupadi Murmu was the chief guest at the inaugural session.
General Dwivedi said, “Your presence here today as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces is an inspiration, and acts as a catalyst in the journey towards becoming a future-ready force capable of effective deterrence and pursuing decisive multi-domain operations.”