NEW DELHI: India is already seeing signs of future wars in the information battlefield, cyberspace, and unsettled and active frontiers, said Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, who specifically mentioned China and Pakistan as threats.

Gen Naravne, speaking about future wars at the Pragyan Conclave at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies in Delhi, said, "Future conflict 'trailers' are already being seen. On the information battlefield, in networks, and in cyberspace, they are played out every day. Our still-unsettled and active borders are likewise being messed with." He stated that based on these 'trailers,' it is up to us to 'visualise' the battlefield shapes of tomorrow.

"If you look around, you'll notice that yesterday’s ‘sci-fi' is today's 'reality,'" General Naravane stated, adding, "We, too, must 'leap-frog' to the future, skipping several phases, to a completely new configuration." The paradigm shift in warfare, he continued, is generally understood. "Conflicts are rapidly transcending time, space, and force dimensions, encompassing new territories," remarked General Naravane.

These conflicts blur the lines between combatants and non-combatants, front and back, and frequently avoid direct military engagements by relying heavily on proxy players. Without a formal declaration of war, there are continuing hostilities between States in the Cyber, Information, Sub-conventional, and Hybrid domains.

Indian Army to soon get anti-tank guided missile, to be deployed along China-Pak border

Balochistan Nationalist Army emerged as Pakistan's new counter-terrorism threat

Security forces kill one more terrorist in Jammu and Kashmir, operation underway