‘Peace without power is utopian,’ says CDS Anil Chauhan
Chauhan says Operation Sindoor is "still on" and highlights that future conflicts will be defined by short-term clashes and new matrices for victory
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Tuesday (August 26) cautioned that although India is a peace-loving nation, that should not be mistaken for pacifism. General Chouhan also mentioned a Latin quote stating, “If you want peace, prepare for war.” He was speaking at the Ran Samvad’ conclave at the Army War College in Mhow.
‘Operation Sindoor still on’
Addressing the two-day long conclave, General Chouhan, in an implied warning to Pakistan, said that Operation Sindoor- India’s precision strikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and mainland Pakistan following the terror attack-was is “still on".
Elaborating further, General Chouhan said that peace without power was nothing but a utopian notion. “India has always stood on the side of peace. We are a peace-loving nation, but don't get mistaken, we cannot be pacifists. I think peace without power is utopian. I like to state a Latin quote which translates, 'if you want peace, prepare for war, '” said General Chouhan as quoted by Hindustan Times.
General Chouhan said that from a modern military conflict like Operation Sindoor, a lot of crucial lessons were learnt and mostly under implementation, adding that some of them have been implemented. He also said that the current discussion was not on Operation Sindoor but something beyond it.
Also Read: Today's wars can't be won with yesterday's weapons, says CDS Anil Chauhan
Four trends of future conflicts
The CDS said that future conflicts would be defined by four major trends, adding that the first among them is an increased tendency among nations and governments to use force in a bid to achieve “political objectives” in short-term conflicts.
As for the second one, he said that the era of declared wars was over, adding that contemporary warfare is a combination of five C’s, such as “competition, crisis, confrontation, conflict and combat, between wars," reported the Hindustan Times.
Speaking on the third trend, General Chouhan, that in past wars people and soldiers were sacrificed for territory and ideology, adding that the fourth trend concerns the matrices of victory and how victory is perceived.
Also Read: 'Outcomes important, not losses': CDS Chauhan on Operation Sindoor
“In the past, matrices of victory were probably defined by losses inflicted in terms of men and equipment. In 1971, we had 95,000 Pakistanis captured. But in today's warfare, probably the new matrices of warfare or victory are the speed and tempo of operations, effects of long-range precision strikes,” said General Chouhan.
The CDS also said that it was crucial for India to align its defence preparedness with its goal of becoming a developed nation.