Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday, November 12, called upon the armed forces to strengthen and sustain both the offensive and defensive dimensions of the 'element of surprise' to maintain operational readiness against conventional and emerging threats, addressing the Air Force Commanders' Conference in New Delhi, according to the official release reported by ANI.
Source: ANI, via NewKerala
"Our Defence Forces must develop capabilities and methods that leave the adversary with no time to react or recover, while simultaneously ensuring that we are never caught off guard by an unexpected move from the enemy," Singh said, adding that intelligence and surveillance mechanisms must be further strengthened so personnel remain alert, agile and equipped to respond to any emerging challenge.
Drones, air defence and new domains of warfare
Singh said contemporary conflicts are extending beyond traditional battlefields into non-contact domains, with missiles, drones and advanced weapon systems playing a significant role. Referring to the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts, he said drones and air defence systems have emerged as critical components of modern warfare, and exhorted the commanders to remain prepared for challenges such as kamikaze drones, surveillance and counter-drone operations.
He called on the Indian Air Force to develop dedicated doctrines and architectures for emerging domains including electronic, cyber and space warfare. "Victory in future conflicts would depend not merely on the number of aircraft, but also on technological sophistication, speed of response and precision of preparations," he said.
The Defence Minister commended the IAF for implementing its doctrines during and after Operation Sindoor, praising the professionalism, restraint and judgement of air warriors, and underlined that jointness and integrated efforts among the three Services must continue to guide military planning.
In-house AI applications launched under UDAAN
At the conference, Singh launched a suite of artificial intelligence applications developed in-house by the IAF's AI Centre of Excellence under UDAAN — the Unit for Digitisation, Automation, Artificial Intelligence and Application Networking. The applications, deployed on the IAF's secure network, will automate and expedite tasks across operations, administration and aerospace safety, India Sentinels and the Ministry of Defence release said.
Source: India Sentinels
On the 'Second Tour of Duty' for Agniveers — a decision announced earlier this month — Singh told the conference the decision was taken following feedback received from the Services, reiterating the government's commitment to incorporating the Services' suggestions into policy. The inaugural session was attended by Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and the Air Officers Commanding-in-Chief of all IAF commands. The two-day conference is themed 'The Year of Empowerment: Maximising Efficiency Through Decentralisation'.