Overview
- Speaking at the 9th Military Literature Festival in Chandigarh on 9 November, General Anil Chauhan said global competition now reaches into space, cyberspace and the cognitive domain.
- He framed India as both continental and maritime, describing it as the first responder and preferred partner of choice across the Indian Ocean region.
- Citing Tim Marshall’s work, he argued that location shapes strategy, highlighting Djibouti at Bab el-Mandeb and Singapore by the Strait of Malacca as examples of outsized geographic leverage.
- He identified Indonesia’s Malacca, Sunda, Lombok and Ombai-Wetar straits as crucial connectors between the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
- He also called India an “ultimate swing state” and said Operation Sindoor illustrated integrated, technology-driven warfare, including limited use of artificial intelligence.