New Delhi: Former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan has called for integrating strategic thinking into India's national education framework, warning about emerging threats such as deepfakes, information manipulation and influence operations are expanding the scope of national security challenges. Delivering the inaugural lecture on 'Strategic Culture of India and National Security' at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on November 3, he stressed that national security preparedness must extend beyond the armed forces and government institutions to universities and society.
Follow Defence Watch on LinkedIN
Chauhan identified cognitive warfare as a growing challenge, explaining that hostile actors can use manipulated information, social media and influence operations to shape public perceptions, weaken trust and deepen divisions within society. He cautioned that cognitive warfare should not be treated merely as a battle of narratives or a public relations exercise, but as an important element of national resilience.
Calling for stronger links between universities and military war colleges, he advocated incorporating Indian political thought, statecraft, military history, diplomacy, technology and national security into academic discourse. He said that strategic awareness must become part of broader national education, enabling citizens to recognise emerging threats and understand their implications.
The former CDS also highlighted the expanding role of economic and technological instruments in geopolitical competition. He pointed to the growing use of trade, finance, critical minerals, energy, technology, supply chains, international standards, data and information as instruments of strategic pressure, warning that economic interdependence itself is increasingly being weaponised.
On India's strategic outlook, Chauhan emphasised the need to combine the ethical restraint associated with Dharma with the strategic realism and preparedness reflected in Kautilya's statecraft. He also called for developing an Indian strategic vocabulary and communicating strategic ideas in Indian languages so that they reach a wider population.
Concluding his address, Chauhan stressed that an informed citizenry is essential to national security, stating that no power can threaten the frontiers of a nation whose citizens are aware and informed. His remarks underlined the growing recognition that modern national security involves not only military strength but also technological capability, economic resilience and societal awareness.
(Defence Watch– India’s Defence News centre that places the spotlight on Defence Manufacturing, Defence Technology, Strategy and Military affairs is on Twitter. Follow us here and stay updated.)