Modern conflicts more and more depend on distant energy reminiscent of surveillance capabilities and cyber operations, and the Indian Army have to be able to dominate in these areas, mentioned Lt Gen Adosh Kumar, Director General, Artillery, Indian Army.
He was delivering a keynote tackle on the third version of the Gen S F Rodrigues Memorial Seminar on ‘Non-Contact Warfare: Capability Building Imperatives for the Indian Army’ on Friday (September 19, 2025).
“Contact on the battlefield may no longer be a prerequisite for decisive action. The age of non-contact warfare is becoming the new normal, and nations around the world have been devising strategies for winning wars without incurring casualties in close combat. As far as we are concerned, the transformation to non-contact warfare was already happening,” Lt Gen Kumar mentioned.
Modern conflicts more and more depend on distant energy — surveillance, cyber operations, area belongings, long-range precision strikes and autonomous methods — to impose prices on adversaries with out conventional battlefield contact, he mentioned, including that these instruments enable militaries to degrade or disable opposing forces whereas holding their very own personnel secure.
The Indian Army should not solely adapt to this transformation however have to be totally ready and geared to function, dominate and prevail on this surroundings, Lt Gen Kumar added.
“The lessons from recent conflicts, that is, how contact-heavy units can be neutralised by non-contact precision strikes, have a direct resonance for India. Op Sindoor has demonstrated the power of surveillance, precision and information dominance when employed in synergy. Our space-based assets provided us with timely information that allowed us to anticipate rather than react,” he mentioned.
India’s precision strike vectors employed at longer ranges created devastating results, Lt Gen Kumar mentioned.
“Hence, our ability to obtain and decisively act on precise information ensured that while we retained clarity of mind, conversely, our adversary was clouded with confusion. That was non-contact at work. But let me also add that what we achieved in Op Sindoor is just the beginning, not the end. To remain ahead of the curve, we must not merely repeat but must take a quantum leap forward across the spectrum of non-kinetic and kinetic capabilities,” he added.
Surveillance is the muse and spine of non-contact warfare, Lt Gen Kumar mentioned.
“Wide area imaging, electronic intelligence, payloads, launch on demand systems, these all must be indigenous, reliable and resilient. Equally, the reliability of our space-based positioning and navigation independent of foreign networks must be ensured,” he added.
The occasion was attended by Lt Gen Sandeep Jain, Chief of Staff, Southern Command, senior officers, business representatives, area specialists and veterans.
Published – September 20, 2025 10:10 am IST
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