Bengaluru, India: Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC), delivered a compelling keynote address on the opening day of the second edition of ‘Ran Samwad 2026’, India’s premier tri-service seminar, underscoring the urgent need for seamless multi-domain operations (MDO) in an era of hybrid and grey-zone warfare.
Addressing senior military officers, defence experts, academics, industry leaders and international delegates at the Air Force Technical College under Headquarters Training Command, Air Marshal Dixit set the tone for the two-day event organised by the Indian Air Force under the aegis of Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS). The seminar’s central theme, ‘Multi Domain Operations: An Imperative for Addressing Conventional and Irregular Threats’, provided the perfect backdrop for his remarks.
The Chief of Integrated Defence Staff painted a stark picture of contemporary conflict, stating that modern wars now begin well before the first kinetic shot is fired. “Conflicts are initiated and shaped through cyber-attacks, space-based disruptions, information campaigns and economic coercion,” he observed. Traditional distinctions between peacetime and wartime have effectively dissolved, demanding a fundamental shift in how the armed forces prepare and respond.
A central thrust of his address was the indivisibility of victory in the modern battlespace. “No single service or platform can win wars alone,” Air Marshal Dixit asserted. “Victory now depends on integration, faster decision-making cycles, resilient networks, and synchronised joint actions across multiple domains.” He emphasised that for India, Multi-Domain Operations are not a distant conceptual aspiration but an operational necessity driven by current and emerging threats. Success, he noted, will hinge on “how fast and how well we can act together.”
The keynote highlighted the importance of building national resilience across new and emerging domains, particularly cyberspace, while fostering greater civil-military awareness and whole-of-nation synergy. Air Marshal Dixit called for accelerated training, doctrinal evolution and capability development to ensure Indian forces maintain decision superiority and operational tempo in contested environments.
‘Ran Samwad’, conceptualised as a practitioner-driven platform for honest dialogue on war, warfare and warfighting, has rapidly established itself as a key forum for shaping India’s strategic thinking on jointness and integration. The second edition builds on the success of the inaugural event, bringing together voices from the three services, think tanks, academia and friendly foreign nations to deliberate on the complexities of hybrid threats and multi-domain campaigns.
Defence analysts view the seminar as a timely intellectual contribution to India’s ongoing military transformation, particularly as the country strengthens theatre commands and pursues greater tri-service synergy under the Chief of Defence Staff system.
Proceedings of ‘Ran Samwad 2026’ are being live-streamed, allowing wider strategic audiences to engage with the discussions. Over the next two days, participants will explore doctrinal adaptations, technological enablers, training imperatives and command-and-control challenges associated with MDO.
As global security dynamics grow more complex and confrontations increasingly play out across multiple domains simultaneously, Air Marshal Dixit’s keynote has reinforced a clear message: India’s armed forces must embrace integrated, agile and technologically empowered responses to safeguard national interests in an uncertain future.
contact: drrajeshjauhri@gmail.com
Dr Rajesh Jauhri is a Journalist with an experience of over 25 years in Indian and foreign media, a Social Scientist, an Ac-complished Author, a Political & Strategic Analyst, a Marksman (Rifle & Pistol), an Orator, a Thinker and an Educationist. He holds a Ph.D. degree on “Impact of colonial heritage on Indian police”. He runs an NGO dedicated to the social and eco-nomic uplift of tribal communities in MP and two decades back, he established a school in a village of Indore district, providing education and moral values to children belonging to underprivileged and minority families. Has received multiple awards in various fields.
