When tri-services officers gathered at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi last week to begin training in drone warfare, cyber operations, space-based assets and supply-chain vulnerabilities, the timing was anything but accidental. Just a couple of days earlier, India’s Union Budget 2026–27 had earmarked a record ₹7.85 lakh crore for defence, perhaps it is the highest allocation in a couple of decades and one of the most important articulations of India’s strategic intent in recent years. Taken together, the two developments point to a larger shift: India is no longer merely responding to threats along its borders. It is actively re-engineering its military, industrial and doctrinal foundations to compete in a far more demanding strategic global tech-savvy environment and challenges amid the rapidly changing character of warfare.

The third edition of the Future Warfare Course, held this week in Delhi, is not just a theoretical or classroom exercise. Its focus on drones, cyber warfare, space, rare-earth supply chains, and resilient logistics reflects real lessons from recent conflicts—from Ukraine and West Asia to India’s own operational experience, including Operation Sindoor.

The presence of senior officers ranging from Majors to Major Generals, alongside representatives from start-ups, MSMEs, DPSUs and private industry, signals a shift in thinking. Future wars will not be fought by the armed forces alone. They will be shaped as much by supply chains, software, sensors, and satellite links as by boots on the ground. This fusion of operators, technologists and industry mirrors the model adopted by leading military powers. It also highlights a recognition that India’s traditional strengths, which have been manpower and experience needs to match the latest and ever-changing technological agility and jointness across services.

India’s recalibration comes against the backdrop of a tightening China–Pakistan axis. Along the Line of Actual Control, as the media has been reporting, China has invested heavily in infrastructure, surveillance, missile forces and integrated theatre commands. Pakistan, meanwhile, continues to modernise selectively with Chinese support, while retaining its........

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