Pune: Declaring that India cannot rely on fixed alliances in an increasingly transactional global landscape, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Friday asserted that the country “must be prepared mentally, structurally and materially to act independently when required”.
Addressing a seminar on “Jai Se Vijay”, organised by the Southern Command at Rajendra Sinhji Mess and Institute (RSAMI), Pune, General Chauhan said, “Assumptions about permanent friends or adversaries are increasingly unreliable. Partnerships are valuable only when aligned with national interest and cannot substitute for indigenous capability or freedom of choice.
Jai is meaningful only when it culminates in Vijay.”
Gen Chauhan said that declared wars are becoming obsolete, replaced by proxy conflicts, sub-threshold operations, cyber campaigns and cognitive warfare aimed at fracturing societies. Advances in artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and long-range precision systems, he said, have lowered the threshold for the use of force while increasing the speed and unpredictability of escalation.
Against this volatile backdrop, he emphasised the government’s articulation of “JAI” as Jointness, Aatmanirbhar and Innovation. Jointness, he said, must go beyond organisational restructuring to become a mental framework where commanders instinctively think across domains.
Calling for “creative destruction” within the armed forces, the CDS said victory is not only over adversaries but also over inertia, prejudice and comfortable dependency.
{{/usCountry}}Calling for “creative destruction” within the armed forces, the CDS said victory is not only over adversaries but also over inertia, prejudice and comfortable dependency.
{{/usCountry}}Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth, Army Commander, Southern Command, said, “For India, Atmanirbhar Bharat in defence is not merely an industrial objective but a core national security requirement. It strengthens deterrence, enhances operational readiness, and safeguards strategic autonomy by reducing external dependence while enabling life-cycle sustainment and timely upgrades.