NEW DELHI, November 12: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday called on the armed forces to strengthen their operational readiness through technological superiority, intelligence capabilities and closer coordination among the three services to meet emerging security challenges.
Addressing the Air Force Commanders’ Conference in New Delhi, Singh said the armed forces must strengthen both offensive and defensive capabilities to maintain the element of surprise in an evolving warfare environment.
He stressed the need to improve intelligence and surveillance systems, enhance integration among military platforms and identify potential threats before they unfold.
“Surprise can manifest in various forms, both conventional and electronic. Our intelligence and surveillance mechanisms must be further strengthened and operational preparedness enhanced to ensure that our personnel remain alert, agile and equipped to respond effectively to any emerging challenge,” he said.
Referring to the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts, Singh said contemporary warfare was extending beyond traditional battlefields, with missiles, drones and advanced weapon systems playing an increasingly significant role.
He urged the Indian Air Force (IAF) to remain prepared for emerging threats, including kamikaze drones, surveillance challenges and counter-drone operations.
The Defence Minister also called for dedicated doctrines and operational frameworks for emerging domains such as electronic, cyber and space warfare. He said future conflicts would depend not only on the number of aircraft but also on technological sophistication, response time and precision.
Singh said the armed forces were undergoing significant reforms in organisational structures, jointness, integration and operational concepts, adding that the changing security environment required continuous adaptation.
Commending the IAF for implementing its doctrines and operational methods during and after Operation Sindoor, he appreciated the professionalism and judgement demonstrated by air warriors in carrying out their assigned tasks.
He said lessons from the operation were reflected in the IAF’s evolving procedures, particularly the growing emphasis on drones and air defence systems. He also highlighted the coordinated contribution of the Army, Navy and Air Force during the operation, calling for jointness to remain central to military planning and execution.
Singh urged IAF commanders to continue training personnel in emerging technologies and make greater use of the technical knowledge of young recruits in decision-making and organisational development.
On the Second Tour of Duty for Agniveers, he said the decision had been taken after considering feedback from the armed forces and reflected the government’s commitment to incorporating the services’ suggestions into policy decisions.
During the conference, Singh launched a suite of artificial intelligence applications developed in-house by the IAF’s AI Centre of Excellence under the Unit for Digitisation, Automation, Artificial Intelligence and Application Networking (UDAAN).
The applications are designed to automate and speed up tasks related to operations, administration and aerospace safety. They have been deployed on the IAF’s secure network.
The two-day conference is being attended by Air Officers Commanding-in-Chief of all IAF commands, Principal Staff Officers and Director Generals. Its theme is ‘The Year of Empowerment: Maximising Efficiency Through Decentralisation’, with discussions focused on operations, maintenance and administration.
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 senior officials from the Defence Ministry.
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