New Delhi, June 5 -- Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi said drones have become a defining force in modern conflict, and outlined India's plans for a tiered, networked drone capability fused with artillery, air defence, electronic warfare and intelligence systems. In an interview to HT, he also said the army's restructuring is designed to deliver more decisive battlefield outcomes; agreements with China on disengagement along the Line of Actual Control have led to both sides showing greater responsiveness and sensitivity to each other's concerns; and Operation Sindoor demonstrated that India's future responses will not be constrained by Pakistan's nuclear blackmail. Edited excerpts: Recent conflicts have shown drones are no longer niche platforms. They can stalk armour, guide precision fires, support logistics, relay communications and influence the information space. Also, hostile unmanned systems have made detection, jamming, spoofing and neutralisation a frontline necessity. So, when we speak of drones today, we must also speak of counter-UAS (unmanned aerial systems), electronic warfare, air defence, secure networks and data fusion. Our drone capability will be tiered, role-based and networked. The real value will come when drone feeds are fused with artillery, air defence, aviation, intelligence, electronic warfare and ground manoeuvre through secure networks, enabling a faster sensor-to-shooter cycle. In multi-domain operations, no single domain decides the outcome by itself. Ground action, cyber effects, electronic warfare, space-based support, information operations and precision fires must work in concert. Our effort is to move from domain silos to domain fusion, where the seams between services and domains reduce progressively. This is why we are focusing on joint doctrines, MDO (multi-domain operations) war-gaming, electronic warfare brigades, cyber electromagnetic activities, information warfare structures and data-centric command systems. Theaterisation is a necessity to fight future wars. Substantial groundwork has been done in joint planning, command and control, areas of responsibility, logistics, communications, doctrine, training and HR policies. The army has begun rationalising formations, streamlining operational aspects, and aligning logistics, communications and training structures so that formations can integrate smoothly once theatre commands are notified. These commands will enable better utilisation of national combat power by pooling sensors, shooters, logistics and support structures across the three services. Future conflicts will be short-cycle, high-intensity and multi-domain where space, cyber, information and electronic warfare will be fused with land, sea and air operations. In such an environment, the armed forces must be able to see, decide and act together. Theatre commands, supported by integrated networks, joint targeting processes and interoperable systems, will help reduce duplication, improve speed of decision-making and generate more effective outcomes. A reform of this scale cannot be rushed. Issues such as preserving service expertise while ensuring joint primacy, air power employment, command and control, compatible equipment, integrated logistics chains and standardised administrative policies require careful harmonisation. These are not differences of intent.the most important shift is cultural and organisational-moving from service-centric planning to theatre-and mission-centric joint planning. The direction is clear and irreversible. The future of Indian warfighting is joint, integrated and theaterised. Future conflicts will be multi-domain, technology-intensive and increasingly non-linear. Land operations will no longer be viewed in isolation. They will be closely linked with air, cyber, space, the electromagnetic spectrum and the cognitive domain. Our restructuring is about creating combat capabilities that are more agile , integrated and responsive. Rudra brigades are integrated all-arms formations that bring together infantry, mechanised elements, armour, artillery, special forces, drones and support elements to produce sharper tactical outcomes. The idea is to give commanders formations that can respond faster, operate with greater flexibility and deliver integrated effects in a compressed timeframe. Bhairav battalions are designed to bridge the capability space between Ghatak platoons and Special Forces. They will give the army a more flexible and high-readiness option for demanding missions. At the infantry battalion level, 382 Ashni Drone platoons will strengthen surveillance, target acquisition, tactical drone employment and battlefield awareness. Shaktibaan regiments and Divyastra batteries will add greater precision, reach and technology-enabled effects. These structures are intended to ensure that technology is not merely held at higher levels, but is available to formations and units where it can directly influence battlefield outcomes. The IBG (integrated battle group) concept is aimed at creating agile, self-contained and mission-oriented formations. The concept has been tested, studied and refined, and a mountain strike corps is set to be reorganised with IBGs soon. To fight in a contested electromagnetic environment, electronic warfare brigades are also being raised. My focus has been on ensuring that every new structure adds real operational value, strengthens the soldier, empowers commanders and enhances the army's ability to deliver decisive outcomes. Our modernisation is being driven by the operational environment, the changing character of warfare and the need to create a technology-adept, networked and agile force. We are not looking at modernisation only as the induction of hardware. It is a fusion of intellect, technology and self-reliance. Our top priorities are multi-platform and multi-sensor real-time surveillance, long-range precision fires including advanced artillery and precision-guided munitions and air defence, UAS and counter-UAS capabilities supported by AI-enabled decision systems. Alongside these, we will continue to modernise tanks, anti-tank systems, soldier equipment, cyber, electronic warfare, logistics and battlefield communication networks. The aim is to achieve the right equilibrium between conventional and niche capabilities. India's security context does not allow us to abandon conventional strength, but future battlefields will also demand drones, counter-drone systems, hypersonic weapons, directed-energy options, cyber, autonomous systems and resilient networks. Indigenisation is central to this journey. We need Indian solutions for Indian challenges because our terrain, threat matrix and operational demands are unique. We are following a methodical process aligned with emerging threats, indigenous design and development capabilities and available resources. Operation Sindoor's greatest legacy is that it affirmed integrated, multi-domain and technology-enabled operations as the decisive template for the future battlefield. It was a defining moment which demonstrated the Indian armed forces' ability to deliver swift, precise and politically coherent military outcomes in a compressed timeframe. The operation validated the effectiveness of integrated planning, real-time intelligence fusion and decisive leadership at all levels. Air, land, cyber and electronic warfare capabilities worked in tandem, while precision weapons, drones and loitering munitions enhanced impact with minimal collateral damage. It also reaffirmed that future conflicts will be short, intense and technology-driven, requiring rapid mobilisation, seamless logistics and compressed decision cycles. As far as any future response is concerned, I would not like to define it in advance as Sindoor 2.0. Every operation will depend on the provocation and national objective. There will be no distinction between the terrorist and the terror sponsor, and India's response will not be constrained by (Pakistan's) nuclear blackmail. If the adversary persists with anti-India activities, the response will be stronger, sharper and calibrated to impose costs. The situation along the northern borders is stable but sensitive. The agreements on disengagement have enhanced stability on the ground, and both sides are now showing greater responsiveness and sensitivity to each other's concerns. There have been positive indicators of gradual normalisation, including the formulation of an expert group for boundary delimitation, a working group for border management, the resumption of Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra and direct flights, consensus on resumption of border trade through three border passes and visa relaxation measures. At the military level too, a number of steps have been taken to maintain peace and tranquillity. More than 1,100 ground-level interactions take place annually between the two sides for peaceful resolution of routine border management issues. Local issues are addressed through military-to-military engagements, hotlines, flag meetings and commander-level interactions. Our priorities remain clear: to maintain peace and tranquillity, resolve local issues through dialogue, preserve stability for progress on the expert group and working group mechanisms, maintain robust deployment to deter any threat and continue focused infrastructure and capability development. We will continue to engage where required, but our posture on the LAC will remain firm, credible and capable....