New Delhi: Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani has called for a shift from platform-centric warfare towards integrated multi-domain operations, saying the objective is to create effects across domains faster than an adversary can comprehend and respond. Speaking at the Defence Tech Summit on Multi-Domain Defence Capability Development and Digital Engineering in New Delhi on September 29, he stressed that future warfare will depend on a “system-of-systems” approach rather than individual platforms or service-specific capabilities.
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Raja Subramani said capabilities across space, air, land, maritime, cyber and electronic warfare must be connected through resilient networks and near-real-time data sharing. A satellite may detect a target, he explained, but the information must rapidly reach the appropriate aerial, naval, ground or electronic-warfare asset capable of creating the required battlefield effect.
The CDS argued that capability planning should therefore begin with the effect required on the battlefield, rather than asking what the Army, Navy or Air Force individually needs. This requires breaking down data silos and ensuring that information can move securely across services and systems. He also highlighted resilient communications capable of functioning in electronically contested environments.
Artificial intelligence, according to Subramani, will be central to this transition, but its adoption must remain focused on operational utility. He called for sovereign and purpose-specific AI models for sensitive applications while also advocating the secure use and training of suitable open-source models. At the same time, he stressed that command decisions must ultimately remain with human commanders.
For India’s defence industry, the CDS called for greater volume, scale and speed in delivering military capabilities. The emphasis reflects a broader shift in military capability development—from acquiring sophisticated individual systems to building interconnected networks capable of sensing, deciding and responding rapidly across domains.
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