Bengaluru, India: General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Army Staff, delivered a substantive address on the visualisation and practical application of Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) on the opening day of *Ran Samwad 2026*, urging a fundamental shift from traditional single-domain thinking to integrated, dynamic multi-domain warfighting.
Speaking in the high-profile first session of the Indian Air Force-hosted seminar, the Army Chief outlined four critical imperatives for India’s armed forces in the emerging security landscape. He described the contemporary world as one of “permanent conflict,” where adversaries operate continuously across multiple spectrums without formal declarations of war.
Gen Dwivedi stressed that a land force commander must now “read the battle” across all domains, understanding not only how domains interact but also how the Indian Army is actively transforming MDO from a conceptual framework into a battlefield capability.
“MDO is not about six domains operating in parallel,” he asserted. “It is about six domains in constant dynamic interaction with each other, where the weight keeps shifting and the lead changes.” He added that the modern battlefield “is no longer a line on a map but is layered three-dimensionally,” warning that commanders who restrict their view to their own sector “see only a fraction of the war.”
The COAS was unequivocal on the need for deeper integration, declaring that fragmented responses will no longer suffice. “The way ahead is to move from domain silos to domain fusion,” he emphasised.
His address reinforced the seminar’s central theme — *Multi Domain Operations: An Imperative for Addressing Conventional and Irregular Threats* — and built upon earlier presentations by senior service commanders. While previous speakers highlighted the cognitive domain, information superiority, and the Whole-of-Nation approach, Gen Dwivedi focused on the operational visualisation and command perspective required to orchestrate effects across domains in real time.
As the Indian Army’s senior-most officer, Gen Dwivedi’s remarks carry significant institutional weight. Under his leadership, the Army has been pushing aggressive reforms in jointness, technology integration, and training philosophies to prepare for multi-domain contingencies, particularly along India’s contested borders and in the maritime theatre.
*Ran Samwad 2026*, now in its second edition, has emerged as a premier practitioner-driven platform organised by the Indian Air Force at the Air Force Technical College, Bengaluru, under the aegis of Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS). The seminar brings together India’s top military leadership, strategic thinkers, industry experts, and international delegates for candid discussions on the future of warfare.
With sessions continuing into 10 April, the event is expected to produce actionable insights on doctrinal evolution, training methodologies, and capability development essential for India’s tri-service transformation.
Proceedings are being live-streamed, enabling a wider professional audience to engage with the discussions shaping India’s defence posture in an era of increasingly complex, cross-domain threats.
#RanSamwad2026 #RanSamwad #MediaEvent2026 #Journalism #NewsConference #PressMeet #IndiaNews #PublicDialogue #PolicyDiscussion #CurrentAffairs #MediaCoverage #EventHighlights #NationalEvent #PressInteraction #NewsUpdate #BreakingNews #PoliticalDiscussion #SocialIssues #PublicForum #MediaCommunity
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.
