Overview

• Opening the two-day Ran Samvad seminar at the Army War College in Mhow, Gen Anil Chauhan called for unified, swift, multi-domain responses and practitioner-led doctrinal reform.
• Chauhan described Mission Sudarshan Chakra as a ‘shield and sword’ concept akin to an Iron Dome, requiring sensor fusion across land, air, sea, undersea and space with AI, advanced compute, data analytics and quantum tools.
• He said the project will demand extensive tri-services integration and a whole-of-nation effort to protect strategic and civilian sites on a 2035 rollout horizon.
• DRDO’s recent maiden tests of an Integrated Air Defence Weapon System—combining QRSAM, VSHORADS and a high-power laser directed-energy weapon—were cited as progress toward a layered defence architecture.
• The CDS confirmed Operation Sindoor is still underway, noting its lessons are being implemented as Ran Samvad releases joint doctrines and a Technology Perspective & Capability Roadmap.