New Delhi, September 27, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Indian Army chief General Dhiraj Seth on Sunday said victory in war would ultimately continue to be measured in territorial terms, describing control of land as the only “tangible and useful factor of success” despite rapid advances in military technology.
Addressing the NDTV Defence Summit 2016, General Seth said the growing role of technology, information warfare and social media had created additional layers of uncertainty around modern conflicts.
“We see salvo after salvo in today’s social media covering warfare across the globe, where information narratives and warfare are being fired to fog the real battle picture, creating uncertainty and confusion,” he said.
However, the Army chief said one factor remained unchanged: “Land will always be the one and only tangible and useful factor of success.”
“Victory was, is, and will always be measured in territorial terms and that territory will be occupied, secured, and defended only by the force,” General Seth asserted.
He stressed that military capability development must ultimately serve soldiers operating on the ground.
“Every capability must address one question: how does it help that soldier who puts his boots or tracks on the ground? That is why I would place him at the heart of the capability development that you’re looking at,” he said.
Recalling the iconic photograph from December 16, 1971, showing Pakistan’s surrender at the end of the Bangladesh Liberation War, General Seth said it represented a defining moment when the conflict formally ended.
He noted, however, that modern conflicts increasingly lack a clear point marking the end of hostilities, with timelines becoming more indefinite and periods of intense fighting interrupted by pauses.
“Technology is certainly shortening the battles, but it is not necessarily shortening the war,” he said, describing contemporary conflicts as “wars with pause” and noting that pauses were increasingly becoming part of military strategy.
On defence self-reliance, General Seth said prolonged crises made ‘atmanirbharta’ crucial to sustaining military capability without depending on external supplies.
“Atmanirbharta must be about ensuring that we have the capability to endure without being constrained by what others can or cannot provide,” he said.
At the same time, he cautioned against what he termed “indigenous obsolescence” — the possibility that domestically developed military systems could become outdated by the time they are inducted.
“The challenge is not just to reduce dependencies on others but also to ensure that what we develop indigenously does not become outdated by the time it is dumped,” he said.
According to government data cited in the address, the value of India’s indigenous defence production increased from Rs 46,429 crore in 2014-15 to a record Rs 1.78 lakh crore in 2025-26.
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