Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, April 10 

Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said on Thursday that modern warfare is no longer confined by geography or dominated by a single military service, arguing instead that future conflicts will hinge on coordination across multiple domains, from cyber and space to land and sea.

Speaking at a military forum on Multi Domain Operations, General Dwivedi described contemporary warfare as “dispersed, undeclared” and unfolding simultaneously across several theatres. 

The central challenge, he said, lies not in whether these domains interact, but in how effectively they are integrated and synchronized.

He pointed to what he called ‘Operation Sindoor,’ India’s military response following the April 2025 attack in Pahalgam, as an example of this evolving approach. 

The operation, he said, drew on a combination of ground intelligence, cyber capabilities and electronic warfare, with coordinated action by the Army, Air Force, and Navy shaping the outcome.

“No single domain decided the operation,” he said, emphasizing that modern combat increasingly depends on the interplay of multiple forces acting in concert.

General Dwivedi distinguished between the concept of the “land domain” – the operational environment – and “land forces,” which he described as a broader network of actors working across six domains: land, air, maritime, cyber, space and the cognitive sphere.

In this framework, he said, the battlefield is no longer a fixed line but a layered, three-dimensional space where digital and physical operations intersect. 

Cyber activity can influence perception and decision-making, while space-based assets guide targeting and electronic warfare disrupts communications.

The shift, he said, requires commanders to develop situational awareness that cuts across domains and levels of command, from tactical engagements to strategic planning.

His remarks reflect a broader push within India’s military establishment to deepen jointness among the armed forces, an approach that prioritises integration and adaptability over service-specific operations as the nature of conflict continues to evolve.