Ukraine War: A Living Laboratory for Modern Warfare and Its Implications for India's Military Strategy

Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi has described the Ukraine conflict as a "living lab" for modern warfare, noting that its conditions mirror those along India's borders. Speaking at the Delhi Defence Dialogue 2025, he emphasized that comprehensive conflicts are replacing long periods of peace.

General Dwivedi highlighted the technological revolution in warfare, stating, "Technology is going galore... You can use technology today wherever you want." He pointed out that over 50 conflicts are currently active worldwide, involving more than 100 nations.

The Army Chief described the evolving battlefield environment where "drones are stalking armour columns, electronic warfare is jamming radios, precision fires reach beyond 100 km range, and information campaigns win wars before a single shell lands."

According to General Dwivedi, three key factors are transforming modern warfare: democratization, diffusion, and demography. He explained that democratization involves emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum robotics, automated systems, directed energy weapons, and cyber tools, which are crucial in grey zone conflicts.

Diffusion refers to warfare becoming geographically independent yet interconnected, while the demographic factor involves various actors including citizen soldiers, guardian forces, and merchants who may supply equipment to multiple sides in a conflict.

Addressing India's specific challenges, General Dwivedi mentioned the "two-and-a-half front challenge or much more," emphasizing that new technologies must adapt to the five generations of warfare India faces. He asserted that traditional warfare elements remain relevant, stating, "Trench warfare will remain true to us," and "geography continues to dictate strategy."

For India specifically, the Army Chief stressed, "By virtue of our land borders, land will remain the currency of victory."

General Dwivedi also revealed that the Army is leveraging artificial intelligence with the upcoming launch of an in-house chatbot called 'Jigyasa' along with approximately 15 supporting software tools. He mentioned successful trials of "AI in the box" technology with mobile formations, which will provide tactical advantages for advancing forces.