India’s next war could be closer than we think and it won’t be fought by soldiers alone, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said during his recent address at IIT Madras. The army chief called for a “whole-of-nation” approach to national defence, urging citizens to prepare as one. Speaking at IIT Madras on August 4 during the inauguration of the Indian Army Research Cell, he warned that technology, civil readiness and public participation will be as decisive as military might.
“The next war which we are looking at, it may happen soon. We have to prepare accordingly, and this time we will have to fight this battle together,” General Dwivedi said.
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“The next war which we are looking at, it may happen soon, we’ve to prepare accordingly, and this time we’ll have to fight this battle together.”
Pakistan’s domestic perception of victory
The Army Chief also spoke on the precision strikes inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack during Operation Sindoor. Drawing from internal post-action assessments, General Dwivedi said the campaign combined technology integration with strategic narrative management.
“Victory is in the mind,” he noted, pointing to Pakistan’s domestic perception of having won the clash. “If you ask a Pakistani whether you lost or won, he’d say, my chief has become field marshal, we must have won only,” General Rawat said.
Collaborative projects underway
India’s counter was an information campaign centred around the message “Justice done”, which, according to him, became one of the most viewed globally. The Army reinforced it with visible briefings by two women officers, one from the Army and another from the Air Force, and even unveiled an operation logo designed in-house by a Lieutenant Colonel and a non-commissioned officer.
Framing modern defence as a shared responsibility, the top army officer said collaborative projects like community bunkers along the border to advanced drones are being developed with Indian institutions.
