Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi speaks at AIMA’s 52nd National Management Convention, in New Delhi on September 9, 2025.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi on Tuesday (September 9, 2025) underlined the need for constant technological upgradation to stay ahead of adversaries, stressing that self-reliance will play a pivotal role in achieving this goal.
“The goalposts will keep changing. If I wanted something to fire at 100 kilometres, tomorrow it has to go to 300 kilometres. Because it is not only me, it is the adversary that is also enhancing his technology. As his technology is enhancing, I need to make sure my technological level is ready to beat its impact. Here, Atmanirbharta becomes important,” Gen Dwivedi said.
He was delivering the keynote address on ‘Cross-Domain Hybrid Leadership: Essential for National Growth and Security’ at the 52nd National Management Convention organised by the All-India Management Association (AIMA). The event was themed Global Trends & Future Strategies: Resilience and Adaptability in a Changing World.
Mobile ecosystem
Highlighting the Army’s operational experience, Gen Dwivedi revealed that the force effectively deployed long-range rockets, missiles, UAVs, UCAVs and loitering munitions in recent conflicts. “We are aware that from Turkey and China, UCAVs were used from the Pakistan side. Of course, we also have our own response,” he added.
He disclosed that the Army employed its indigenously developed secure mobile ecosystem, SAMBHAV (Secure Army Mobile Bharat Version), during Operation Sindoor.
“We are ready to accept spiral development of equipment. SAMBHAV phones were used in Operation Sindoor for command and communication. We were not using WhatsApp or others. In one go, a joint operational and intelligence picture was available to all commanders on the same platform. We are now upgrading it to a higher level,” the Army Chief said.
Describing Operation Sindoor, Gen Dwivedi called it “an amalgam of soldiers to commanders, scientists, great policymakers; required actions taken in a pre-emptive manner… It was a whole-of-nation approach.”
“Loiter munitions, presently, we are looking at a range of 100 to 150 km, but as things move ahead, we are looking at swarm drones and swarm loitering munitions with a range of 750 km. We are looking to upgrade the range of missiles that we have today,” he added.
Published – September 09, 2025 10:37 pm IST
