Perhaps hinting at Israel’s shock and awe overwhelming capability, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday urged commanders from tri-services to cultivate the ‘element of surprise’ to remain unpredictable to the nation’s adversaries and secure a strategic edge in any given situation.
At the same time, Singh during his address at the second edition of Joint Commanders’ Conference in Jaipur also cautioned them to remain vigilant of the element of surprise of the enemy and always stay two steps ahead.
Strengthen capabilities
The Defence Minister underscored the need to strengthen capabilities in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, data analytics and secure communication networks to stay prepared in the rapidly evolving geopolitical security scenario.
He emphasised that future conflicts will increasingly be shaped by hybrid threats, information dominance and operations conducted simultaneously across cyber, space, electromagnetic and cognitive domains.
With strong buzz over Ministry of Defence may announce some rollout of theaterisation of command soon, Singh appreciated the progress achieved in enhancing jointness, integration and technological adoption across the three services -- army, air force and navy.
He stated that jointness constitutes a pivotal dimension within the transformative changes sweeping across the global defence sector. “Future wars will not be won solely through weaponry, but through innovative thinking and enhanced synergy,” he said.
The senior NDA Minister also reiterated Modi government’s commitment to enhancing the capabilities of the defence forces through state-of-the-art weapons and platforms. He added that special focus is being laid on research in niche domains.
Published on May 8, 2026