“We’ve Built Our Own Air Defence Network Without Foreign Help”: CDS Gen Anil Chauhan Highlights Indigenous Strength in Operation Sindoor

Singapore: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Saturday underscored India’s indigenous capabilities during Operation Sindoor, revealing that the country has successfully developed its own networking infrastructure for air defence without depending on foreign vendors. Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, he also shared critical insights on network-centric warfare and India’s strides in defence modernisation.

General Chauhan held an academia engagement with global think tanks on the sidelines of the dialogue, addressing the theme ‘Future Wars and Warfare’. He said, “On our end, we’ve not only used indigenous platforms like the Akash missile system effectively, but we’ve also built our own networking infrastructure for air defence without relying on foreign vendors. We’ve integrated radars from multiple sources into a cohesive network across India, and that was crucial.”

Touching upon India’s evolving defence posture, the CDS highlighted how Operation Sindoor marked a shift in military strategy with the adoption of distributed force application, network-centric operations, cyber campaigns, and enhanced intelligence capabilities.

Referring to modern-day warfare, he emphasized the growing importance of network integration and automation: “Modern warfare is undergoing a complex convergence of tactical, operational and strategic layers and old and new domains like land, air, sea, cyber, space and even time and space.”

He said that while commercial satellite imagery is now accessible to all actors, India relied on its own satellite resources, while suggesting that Pakistan may have leveraged Chinese or Western commercial imagery. “I can’t confirm whether real-time targeting data was provided to them, but it’s plausible they sought help from their allies,” he noted.

CDS Chauhan stated that platforms like Akash showcased India’s capability to network and integrate systems, including those sourced from abroad, into a single functional framework. “India, however, relied on its indigenous systems like Akash, which had notable success in system networking, integrating multiple platforms, including foreign radars, into a cohesive defence system,” he said.

On defence modernisation, he reaffirmed India’s commitment to self-reliance under Atmanirbhar Bharat, saying: “On defence modernisation, we’re moving toward self-reliance. While initially difficult, the process has started through programmes like Atmanirbhar Bharat. We can’t rely 100 per cent on foreign elements, especially for networked warfare.”

He also highlighted India’s STEM advantage: “Our biggest strength? We produce the largest number of STEM graduates in the world, more than 20 IITs. Give them a defence problem and you’ll have hundreds working on it. That’s an untapped advantage we must channel with focus.”