Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, July 13
Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat on Saturday said they had come a long way since Kargil and warned that future wars could be different, asymmetric in nature, and domimated by use of cyber and space assets.
Speaking at a seminar, ‘20 Years after Kargil Conflict’, organized by Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) here, Gen Rawat spoke about two issues–changing character of warfare and transformation of forces.
“In these 20 years, character of warfare and its conduct has changed. Use of irregulars will go up. Cyber and space have changed the dynamics. The Army has to be ready,” General Rawat said.
Future conflict would be seamlessly connected, unconventional and asymmetric in nature, he added.
“Be aware of space in future war fighting. Cyber and space are likely to be fiercely contested,” Gen Rawat said.
Information domain would be used to change the narrative and be prepared for multi-spectrum challenges, he said, adding that there is need to build capabilities to tackle asymmetric warfare.
The Army chief said no act of terror would go unpunished. “The steps after Uri (surgical strikes conducted after it) and air strikes at Balakot showed our resolve,” the General said.
Gen Rawat said, “We have come a long way since Kargil (May-July 1999). Perceived threats are being studied. Future wars would need infrastructure and robust logistics.”
Gen VP Malik (retd), who was the Army chief during the Kargil war, suggested that India need not go back to the defensive strategy that had changed following the Uri attack. “We may need to do a Balakot time and again to send the message of deterrence. A defensive strategy changed the mindset of commanders on the ground. Be prepared to launch an offensive across the LoC at short notice,” he said.
Later, the book, ‘Surprise, Strategy and Vijay: 20 Years after Kargil and Beyond’, was released.
Future conflicts will be more violent, predicts Gen Rawat
The military must be ready for a mutli-spectrum war. The rise of non-state actors and the rapid changes in technology is changing the nature of warfare. Cyber and space domain will increasingly play a bigger role… GEN BIPIN RAWAT, Chief of army staff
NEW DELHI: Future armed conflicts will be “more violent” and “unpredictable” as technology and the cyber domain play a greater role, Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat said on Saturday, adding that the “battlefield will become more contested”.
Speaking at a seminar to mark the 20th year of the Kargil conflict, General Rawat said any misadventure by Pakistan’s army will be repelled with a punitive response and no act of terror will go unpunished.
“The military must be ready for a mutli-spectrum war. The rise of non-state actors and the rapid changes in technology is changing the nature of warfare. Cyber and space domain will increasingly play a bigger role as the battlefield becomes more contested and at the same time will be seamlessly connected,” General Rawat said, detailing the likely contours of future conflicts. The Indian Army needs, and is going through, a transformation, he said. “The formation of the Space, Cyber and Special Forces divisions is indication of the transformation that the armed forces are going through,” he added.