Whole nation, not just military, must be ready for conflict: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Ran Samwad 2025
At Ran Samwad 2025 in Mhow, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said India must be ready for sudden and unpredictable wars that could last from weeks to several years. He underlined that India seeks no one’s land but will go to any length to defend its territory. Singh drew lessons from Operation Sindoor, which he described as a striking example of technology-driven warfare, and highlighted the growing importance of cyber security, indigenous defence production, and a whole-of-nation approach to security. “The very title of the program, Ran Samwad, strikes me as quite interesting. The name itself is a subject to think about and reflect on. On one hand, ‘Ran’ evokes the imagery of battle and conflict, and on the other hand, ‘Samwad’ points towards dialogue, discussion, and reconciliation,” he said.
Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of the Naval Staff, emphasised that India’s maritime security will increasingly depend on the integration of disruptive technologies, space, cyber and AI-driven platforms with traditional naval power. Admiral Tripathi also highlighted initiatives to rescale and upskill personnel, create pools of domain experts, and strengthen synergy with the Indian Army and Indian Air Force.
Lt Gen N. S. Sarna, Commandant of the Army War College, echoed the call for transformation, stressing that training systems must adapt rapidly to disruptive technologies. He urged a doctrinal shift in basic military training to incorporate drones, cybersecurity, electronic warfare, and information operations.
Brigadier Revety Bhandari from Army Training Command outlined the roadmap for integrating unmanned and autonomous systems into land warfare. He spoke on human-machine teaming, AI systems management and global benchmarks in drones and UGVs, while addressing legal and ethical dimensions.
Highlighting the lessons from contemporary conflicts, Gp Capt Vipul Mishra of the Indian Air Force stressed the need for realistic combat training and integrated training areas. He noted that early phases of military missions will require long-range systems, but focus will gradually shift to medium- and short-range weapons to ensure balanced and flexible operations.
Capt (IN) Sairam Chiruvela addressed the challenges of space-based surveillance and SATCOM, urging investment in resilient C4ISR frameworks and protection of satellite communications from cyber threats.
Speaking on “Disrupting the Adversary’s Logistic Backbone in the Digital Age,” Maj Gen Amit Talwar underlined the importance of predictive AI logistics, autonomous resupply platforms and cyber-secure networks.
Lt. Gen. Rakesh Kapoor, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Information Systems & Technology), focused on aligning training with technological demands within the theatre command construct.
Giving his closing remarks, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan informed that, “the next Ran Samwad will be organised tentatively in May 2026 in Agra. The subject of the next Ran Samwad will be “Multi-domain operations”.
