“No Runners-Up in War”: CDS Anil Chauhan Stresses Need for Technological Superiority in Defence

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan on Tuesday emphasized that the country must have "technological expertise and superiority" to defend and defeat its enemies in conflict, as there was no place for runner-up or consolation prizes in war.

CDS General Anil Chauhan was addressing a gathering on modern technology usage in the defence sector during the Delhi Defence Dialogue, organized by the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA). Speaking at the Delhi Defence Dialogue Conference 2025, he said, "The fundamental truth remains unchanged; war is always about victory, whether you use geography or technology." Our responsibility is to ensure that when conflict occurs, as it inevitably will, we have the technological expertise and superiority to defend our nation and achieve victory.

CDS described Operation Sindoor as an impressive example of modern warfare, where precision strike capability, network-centric operations, digital intelligence, and multi-domain strategies were effectively utilized within a limited time frame. It was a hybrid of kinetic and non-kinetic warfare, networked and digitally integrated into a single picture. He further stated, "It was truly multi-domain; it was a convergence of tactical, operational, and strategic warfare... and everything was happening at a very fast pace, within a limited timeframe."

General Chauhan began his address with examples from historical battles, including the Battle of Marathon (490 BC), Waterloo, and the Gallipoli Campaign. He said, "There are no runners-up in war. Only the victors write history." This harsh reality has driven military leaders for centuries to seek every possible advantage over their enemies.

He said that while war strategy used to be primarily based on geography, technology is now playing a more decisive role than geography. He also said that space is no longer merely a support zone, but has become a decisive battlefield. He said, today's technological advancements have made space a domain that can be protected, controlled, and usurped from adversaries. This conference was organized by the Manoj Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA). General Chauhan said that the stakes are always high in any conflict, as "the very existence and future of a nation depend on the outcome of the war."

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has stated that technologies used in the defense sector must be indigenous, not just hardware, but also software. True strategic autonomy will only be achieved when our code is as indigenous as our hardware. He said that digital sovereignty requires control over the algorithms, data, and chips that run defense equipment.

The Defense Minister also noted that modern defense preparedness is now based on invisible technologies, such as secure data architectures or encrypted networks. These technologies may not attract the same attention as a missile, aircraft, or warship, but they are crucial to ensuring the right equipment arrives at the right time and that all systems communicate seamlessly with each other.