Control of land will be currency of victory in war: Army chief

ARmy chief superior general Upendra Dwivedi on tues position the spot on the role of the regular army in determining the outcome of any conflict saying control of land will remain “the currency of victory” especially in the Indian context, stressed the need to establish technological dominance over the country’s adversaries and build capabilities to fight longer wars, and called for developing and deploying longer range strike weapons.“When you go back to the Alaska conference that took place between the two presidents, they just discussed how much land has to change hands,” he said, referring to the August 15 summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to discuss how to end the Russia-Ukraine war.“Others (navy, air force) will look at destruction as the only kind of action that they are required to take. But in the case of land forces or army, it is the eviction and occupation of land which is important. In India, since we have a 2.5-front threat (China, Pakistan and counter insurgency), land will remain the currency of victory.”Dwivedi made the comments at a function organised by All India Management Association.Also Read: A long march ahead for theaterisation in IndiaThe army chief cited recent and ongoing conflicts to highlight the significant transformation in warfare, its unpredictability and the need to leverage new technologies for favourable outcomes in future conflicts.“When Russia went to war (with Ukraine), we always thought that this war would last only for 10 days. The Iran-Iraq war lasted for 10 years. But when it came to Operation Sindoor, we were not sure for how many days it would carry on and most of us were saying, why is it finished in a four-day test match...We need to understand what technology is available with the other side to sustain the war for a longer period. We should be able to make sure that we have enough to last for a longer war,” Dwivedi said.The Union War Book, he said, was not invoked during Operation Sindoor but all of its boxes were ticked by adopting a national joint approach. HT was the first to report that the blue-coloured, limited-edition government manual of over 200 pages, which is not in the public domain, served as a go-to handbook for key officials across the country during the operation, as it outlined the response and functions of various arms of government during an armed conflict.India launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7 and struck terror and military installations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the April 22 Pahalgam terror strike in which 26 people were killed. Between the launch of the operation and the ceasefire on May 10 evening, Indian forces bombed nine terror camps in Pakistan and PoK, killing at least 100 terrorists, and struck targets at 13 Pakistani airbases and military installations.“The operation was an amalgam of everything...soldiers to various commanders, scientists, policymakers...to the extent that the Union War Book was not invoked, but certain actions that were required to be taken were taken in a pre-emptive manner. It was a whole-of-nation approach. I can say all the right boxes of the war book were ticked without invoking it,” Dwivedi said.He said the use of low-cost and high-end technology was one of the main takeaways from recent conflicts, which had impacted the David and Goliath system (contests between weaker and stronger opponents).“If you have low-cost, high-technology, you will be able to beat back a superior adversary...Force protection is also new thing because you should be able to take the onslaught of the enemy barrage and, thereafter, carry out the required actions...Force visualisation, force protection and force application are the three things are the main things we need to work out.”Modern conflicts, he said, are not confined to the frontlines, specifically referring to Operation Sindoor and the wars between Russia-Ukraine and Iran-Israel. “They were diffused, dispersed and pervasive. This time you saw we did not know where the missiles were landed, where the drones were, and we also knowwhat kind of cyberattacks were taking place. There was no frontline or border.”In his address, the army chief also talked about the need to forge long-term strategic partnerships with the industry to meet the growing needs of the armed forces.“It’s our job to give you the long-term visibility of our requirements...and thereafter should we change the goalposts…The goalposts will keep changing. If I wanted something to fire at 100 km today, tomorrow it has to go to 300 km. Because it is not only me, the adversary is also enhancing his technology. I need to completely make sure that my technological level is ready to beat his technological impact. Here, atmanirbharta (self-reliance) becomes important.”The range of different types of weapons needs to be enhanced, he said. “Loitering munitions from the current 100-150 km to 750 km as technology moves, missiles from a particular range today to much beyond…or to the nuclear missile ranges that we have...rockets from 70 km to 300 km. Sky is the limit as far as aspirations are concerned...but can you (industry) provide it, is it possible?”He said technology was evolving at a lightning pace, and it was not possible for the army to handle it alone. “So we are looking at the troika of academia, industry and military. Wherever there is synergy and higher guidance, things will move very fast. The projected defence spending every year from 2025 to 2035 is ₹3 lakh crore with at least 10% increase every year. I think that’s enough to stimulate and catalyse the growth of a cross-domain atmanirbhar ecosystem that synchronises its efforts to deliver cutting edge solutions,” Dwivedi added.