New
Delhi, 19 March (HS): India faces a significant problem in providing proper
training to military troops to deal with hybrid warfare, new age conflicts, and
traditional combat, according to Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan on
Wednesday. A top military official addressed the Raisina Dialogue, India’s
annual geopolitical forum, and highlighted misinformation as a big threat. Disinformation
and internal unrest might be a significant issue for India, a multicultural,
multi-religious, and multi-ethnic country. He stated that disinformation is a
battle of the minds or cognitive warfare that might pose a significant
challenge.
Gen
Chauhan was speaking during a session titled Verses and Wars: Navigating Hybrid
Theatres. I believe the global security landscape is distinguished by two
challenges: unpredictability and fast change, he explained. The most difficult
task we confront is training personnel for both hybrid and traditional warfare.
Expanding on it, he emphasized the quick rate of technological progress and
stated that training individuals for technology absorption is challenging.
Gen
Chauhan discussed numerous national security problems, stating that India is confronting
an asymmetric threat. Although Chauhan did not mention any adversaries, his
statements were seen as a reference to Pakistan. We’ve always referred to it as
a substandard type of warfare. We
invented this word long before the West coined terms like global war on terror,
asymmetric warfare, fourth generation warfare, or hyper wars, he claimed.
We
refer to it as combat below the threshold of conventional conflict, and the
lesson is that there is no alternative for troops on the ground, he explained. According
to Gen Chauhan, technology can only empower, not replace, people. I believe it
is really significant, he stated.
The
Chief of Defence Staff also discussed new-age fighting zones. In conventional
warfare, fire is used to shape the battlefield.
Over here, we’re focused on influencing the mindscape rather than the
environment. He stated that in the context of hybrid warfare, the mental
struggle becomes increasingly crucial.
Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi
