Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Tuesday emphasised that the same forces of trade and supply chains which were expected to bind nations together have become the key instruments of coercion. Speaking at a seminar on "Security to Prosperity: Smart Power for Sustained National Growth" at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies in the national capital, he said, "The 21st century opens with a confident thesis that forces of trade, supply chains and digital connectivity would make nations too interdependent to conflict.
Paradoxically, the same forces that promise to bind nations together have progressively become instruments of coercion. The Army Chief highlighted several ongoing global issues, including the limited availability of semiconductors, global defence spending, and the constant disruptions at the Strait of Hurmoz. "Semiconductors and their selective availability have become tools for hedging. The Strait of Hormuz has become a zone of active contestation. Global defence spending, which has crossed $2.7 trillion, exceeding the entire UN budget for Sustainable Development Goals," he said.
Further, he said that the boundary between security and prosperity no longer exists, underlining that it is a precondition for prosperity to commence its progressive journey. "The boundary between security and prosperity is no longer a boundary at all. Contemporary conflicts now impose sustained demands not only on armed forces but also on industrial production, research systems, and governance structures. Security is no longer a cause that prosperity must bear; it is the precondition for prosperity to commence its progressive journey," he said.Dwevedi added that India must use national strength with strategic wisdom to secure peace and accelerate growth. "For India, it means using national strength with strategic wisdom to secure peace, accelerate growth and shape the global environment in our favour. I'll use the word smart, that is the acronym, not as a management construct, but a living framework for how we must think, prepare and act in the world," he added.
Published on May 19, 2026