CDS Gen Anil Chauhan: No Permanent Friends, India Must Be Ready to Act Alone

Addressing the opening session of the seminar in Pune, the Chief of Defence Staff said, "Assumptions about permanent friends or adversaries are increasingly becoming unreliable. In today's world, it is difficult to define who are your friends, who are your allies, who are your enemies and who are your adversaries. India must therefore be prepared mentally, structurally and materially to act independently when required."

The CDS underlined that partnerships remain valuable but cannot substitute indigenous capability or the freedom of national choice.

Elaborating on the theme, Gen Chauhan said victory in modern times cannot be based on rhetoric or symbolic claims but must rest on "demonstrated evidence and verifiable outcomes". He cautioned that destruction of infrastructure or damage to airfields alone does not constitute enduring victory.

Highlighting emerging global trends, the CDS pointed to the rise of coercive nationalism, economic weaponisation, a retreat from seamless globalisation, rapid technological disruption, the erosion of established norms of state behaviour, and an increased propensity to use force. He noted that declared wars are becoming obsolete, giving way to proxy conflicts, sub-threshold operations, cyber activities and information warfare targeting societies rather than armed forces.

Gen Chauhan also flagged non-traditional security challenges such as pandemics, disruptions to critical infrastructure and climate-related stresses, adding that strategic alignments are increasingly fluid and transactional.

Referring to the Prime Minister's articulation of as an acronym for Jointness, Aatmanirbharta and Innovation, the CDS said the concept today signifies freedom from foreign dependency and a colonial mindset. "It is not just victory over an adversary, but equally victory over inertia, prejudices, and institutional comfort," he said.

Drawing inspiration from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Gen Chauhan said true victory belongs to those who "think originally and act independently", stressing the need to discard outdated doctrines, preserve what remains effective and innovate for future challenges.

The CDS said jointness must go beyond organisational changes to reflect integrated thinking across domains, while Aatmanirbharta should be seen as strategic autonomy rather than isolation. Innovation, he added, must permeate doctrines, training, leadership and organisational culture, not remain limited to technology alone.

- ANI