CDS Stresses Unity, Identity and Strength as India’s Forces Advance Toward Joint Warfare

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan has reaffirmed the Indian armed forces' commitment to achieving seamless jointness and integration while preserving each service's unique identity, emphasising the adoption of best practices across the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Speaking at the Indian Military Heritage Festival hosted by the United Service Institution (USI) on November 15, 2025, Chauhan highlighted successful coordination during the recent Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. The precision strikes on May 7 targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), showcasing interoperability at operational levels without diluting individual service roles.

Chauhan detailed how asset mobilisation from April 22 to May 7 was executed efficiently at the one-star officer level, involving significant airlift operations that went unnoticed by higher command, including service chiefs. He praised the use of common equipment like the Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) and BrahMos systems, which enable cross-service communication and shared inventories. A notable example was the Navy's deployment of long-range loiter munitions, PALM 400 and PALM 120, previously unknown to the Army and Air Force but integrated through Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (IDS). MARCOS commandos collaborated with ground and air units on land borders, demonstrating practical jointness in cross-border strikes.

The CDS stressed fostering a "joint culture" through unified training at staff colleges to prepare for future theatre commands, where common staff will operate under integrated headquarters. He underscored the importance of both physical and human geography in modern warfare, particularly for counter-insurgency, cognitive operations, and social engineering. Chauhan warned that victories in traditional domains—land, sea, and air—will be "bloody and hard-slogging", while new domains like space offer opportunities for creating asymmetries through smart, fast, and technology-intensive strategies, urging preparedness to counter adversaries exploiting these areas first.

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The two-day festival, inaugurated by Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, featured discussions on military heritage, an exhibition of iconic paintings by retired Lt. Col. Arul Raj, and releases of key publications on statecraft, honours, and India's UN peacekeeping contributions. Chauhan, interacting on his book Ready, Relevant, and Resurgent II: Shaping a Future-Ready Force, hinted at a potential third volume detailing Operation Sindoor. His vision aligns with ongoing reforms to build a future-ready, integrated force capable of multi-domain operations while honouring the distinct ethos of each service.

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