Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi says armed forces ready for Operation Sindoor 2.0

Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Saturday issued a stern warning to Pakistan saying the armed forces are fully prepared for Operation Sindoor 2.0 if the need arises.

He said all three services are enhancing synergy for modern multi-domain warfare that extends beyond land, air and sea.

Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the passing-out parade of the 150th course of the National Defence Academy (NDA), noted that the peace is only temporary and that all three services are preparing intensely for the next phase if it is needed.

India launched Operation Sindoor as a response to the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, that claimed the lives of 26 tourists. The military aggression was carried to destroy terror infrastructure in Pakistan in May last year.

"As 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 2.0 if it takes place," he said.

The army chief further said that future warfare will not be limited to land, sea and air alone, but would be influenced by emerging domains such as space, cyber and cognitive warfare.

Modern battlefields have become highly transparent, General Dwivedi said, adding that military planners must remain cautious about deployments and force protection measures.

"What we have seen over a period of time is 24/7. 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, in terms of our employment, and the protection which is required to protect our troops as well as the civilians in the border areas," he said.

Recalling lessons from information warfare from Operation Sindoor, General Dwivedi said public trust and national cohesion would remain decisive factors in future conflicts.

"Victory is always in the mind. It's not on the ground. Therefore, information warfare is only successful if the whole of the nation gets together and trusts the people who are giving the information," he said.

"If that happens, I can assure you that the nation which trusts each other and all these stakeholders will always win the war," the Army Chief added.

General Dwivedi said that the escalation showed India's resolve and the armed forces' ability to deliver a calibrated, precise, and purposeful response.

"This operation underlined the importance of integrated planning, real-time intelligence, precision targeting, strong air defence, secure communications, and synergy across domains," the Army chief said.

He said the Indian Army is fully conscious of modernisation transformation.

"We are transforming ourselves into a future-ready force under the 'Decade of Transformation', wherein the role of the younger generation would be pivotal," he added.

He noted the raising of industry drone battalions, Divyastra batteries, Shaktiman regiments, Bhairav battalions, and other technology-enabled structures from within the country is part of this transformation.

The general said the next major step is networking and data-centricity, where data becomes a strategic resource, and decision-making becomes faster, smarter, and more resilient.

Talking about the use of drones and other indigenous weapons, General Dwivedi said since he has taken over, he has been talking about "Eagle on the Arm".

"This means every soldier should have an "eagle" in their hand... Every soldier should have the capability to fly a drone. You have seen that in our academies and other places, training for this is ongoing, simulators are there," he said.

He added that the long-awaited military theaterisation process is on the "right track", with deliberations within the Chiefs of Staff Committee completed and a report submitted to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for review.

All major concerns and interests of the three services have been accommodated in the proposed structure, he said.

General Dwivedi said service chiefs would continue to be responsible for "raise, train and sustain", while theatre commanders would be tasked with operational orchestration of forces.

"We are hopeful that the next setup which is coming under the new CDS should be able to take the journey forward and in the next two to three years, we should be able to see it happening on the ground," he said.