India’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, used the inaugural Ran Samvad tri-service seminar at the Army War College in Mhow on Tuesday to set out his vision of a technologically driven, self-reliant military. Addressing officers from the Army, Navy and Air Force, the CDS argued that a strong defence posture was essential to safeguard a “peace-loving” nation, stressing that “peace without power is utopian.” Chauhan said future battlefields will blur service boundaries and be dominated by rapid technological change, requiring India to be “Shashastra, Surakshit and Aatmanirbhar” as it pursues the broader goal of becoming a developed nation. Citing four emerging trends, he urged the services to match new concepts with indigenous hardware and ideas. Highlighting air-defence, the CDS described the proposed Sudarshan Chakra as India’s answer to Israel’s Iron Dome, a ‘Golden Dome’ capable of protecting key assets from aerial threats. He noted that the Defence Research and Development Organisation recently tested an integrated system combining the Quick-Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM), Very Short-Range Air-Defence missiles (VSHORADS) and 5-kilowatt laser weapons, saying further work would fold into the Sudarshan Chakra architecture. Referring to the still-active Operation Sindoor, Chauhan said lessons drawn from the engagement are already shaping capability upgrades, with several measures implemented and others under way. He called on participants to examine both technology and strategy in tandem—“the two blades of the same sword”—to prepare for conflicts of the future.