“As warfare expands from the physical to the synthetic and cognitive realms, the Indian Armed Forces need to transition from net-centric operations toward Intelligent Warfare and move beyond Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) to All Realm All Domain Operations (ARADO)” the Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan emphasized in his address at the College of Defence Management (CDM), Secunderabad on February 24, 2026.
Inaugurating the annual seminar on the theme ‘Multi-Domain Integrated Technologically-Empowered Resilient Armed Forces (MITRA)’, CDS highlighted the ‘Third Revolution in Military Affairs,’ characterized by Convergence Warfare that fuses contact and non-contact, kinetic and non-kinetic, and old and new domains across all levels of conflict.
He also emphasized on the need to establish non-nuclear strategic deterrence, ensuring the ability to win at every level of escalation. CDM hosted the annual seminar on February 24-25, 2026 with Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, as ‘Knowledge Partner’.
This year’s theme ‘MITRA’ underscores the evolving role of military & war fighting strategies in an increasingly complex geopolitical and technological landscape. The seminar served as a strategic platform to align contemporary conflict lessons with India’s unique operational environment, focused on self-reliance and structural reform, with an objective to develop MITRA armed forces that are Multi-domain in vision, Integrated in action, Technology-empowered in execution, and Resilient in purpose.
With the participation of senior defence officials, scholars, industry partners and practitioners, the CDM Annual Seminar 2026 fosters intellectual discourse and strategic foresight for developing the comprehensive national power under the realm of MITRA for administration and management of future contestations and resilient India.
Established in December 1970, the College of Defence Management (CDM) has remained a premier tri-service institution dedicated to equipping military leadership with the contemporary management thoughts, concepts, and best practices.
Over the years, its annual seminars have addressed crucial themes ranging from strategic challenges and self-reliance to geopolitical power shifts and leadership transformation, bolstering CDM's role in shaping India's military future for administration and management of future contestations and a resilient India.