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Source: Hindu

Context

Warfare has exceeded its traditional boundaries, becoming a multifaceted, multidimensional, and technologically driven phenomenon. The year 2025 also commemorates eight decades of seemingly relative quiet following the end of World War II, despite the fact that the years in between saw and had seen other conflicts, albeit not on the scale of WWII.

How Warfare Has Changed Since the Cold War

• Shift from Large-Scale Wars to Regional Conflicts
  
  
• Post-Cold War, large global wars have reduced.
  
  
• Conflicts are now localized and short-term, often focused on specific regions.
  
  
• Example: Gulf War (1991) marked the rise of precision-based and limited operations, replacing prolonged world wars.
  
  
• Rise of Technology-Driven Warfare
  
  
• Modern wars rely on AI, drones, cyber tools, and precision-guided weapons rather than manpower-heavy battles.
  
  
• Example: Russia-Ukraine war shows extensive use of drones, satellite-guided missiles, and cyberattacks.
  
  
• Multi-Domain and Asymmetric Warfare
  
  
• Conflicts now span land, air, sea, cyber, and space, combining regular and irregular tactics.
  
  
• Example: Israel-Hamas and India-Pakistan skirmishes show cyberattacks paired with physical strikes.
  

Why Traditional Military Power is Becoming Outdated

• Emergence of Asymmetric Threats
  
  
• Conventional armies struggle against non-state actors, insurgents, and cyber warriors who avoid traditional battle rules.
  
  
• Example: Taliban’s return in Afghanistan after 20 years of U.S. presence highlights limits of conventional forces.
  
  
• Dominance of Cyber and Information Warfare
  
  
• Modern conflicts are fought in the digital realm, with cyberattacks, disinformation, and AI-driven operations.
  
  
• Example: Russia-Ukraine conflict saw massive cyber sabotage, showing wars can cripple nations without physical combat.
  
  
• Cost-Effectiveness of Smart Technologies
  
  
• Drones, AI-based surveillance, and automation deliver high impact at low costs, reducing need for tanks or massive troops.
  
  
• Example: Turkish Bayraktar drones in Ukraine destroyed costly enemy assets, proving smart tech’s efficiency.
  

Defining Characteristics of Modern Warfare

• Modern conflicts, such as the Ukraine-Russia war, are becoming automation-driven battles.
  
  
• Drones have become indispensable for intelligence gathering and precision strikes.
  
  
• Semi-autonomous drones can interpret images, recognise targets, and prioritise them without human intervention.
  
  
• Loitering munitions (also called suicide or Kamikaze drones) hover over areas, wait to acquire targets, and then self-destruct to strike.
  
  
• The India-Pakistan conflict (Operation Sindoor) showcased extensive technology use, including:
  
  
• Fixed-wing drones
  
  
• Loitering munitions
  
  
• Fighter jets and advanced air-to-air missiles
  
  
• BrahMos missiles

New Dimensions and Concepts in Warfare

• Network-centric warfare:
  
  
• Armies are moving away from rigid hierarchies.
  
  
• All elements – sensors, decision-making systems, and data-sharing networks – are connected in a single integrated network, enabling faster decisions.
  
  
• Multi-domain conflicts:
  
  
• Wars now span land, air, sea, space, and cyberspace.
  
  
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cyber warfare are central in these conflicts.
  
  
• Hypersonic weapons:
  
  
• Travel at Mach 5 speeds or more, making them extremely hard to detect, track, and counter.

The False Promise of Post-War Peace

• After World War II, the so-called “rules-based international order” failed to deliver real peace.
  
  
• The world saw regional wars such as the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East.
  
  
• U.S. atomic dominance temporarily prevented large-scale wars, but conflicts persisted globally.
  
  
• The idea of post-war peace was an illusion, as mistrust, surveillance, and power politics dominated diplomacy.
  

New Conflicts, New Doctrines

• The end of the Cold War and 9/11 attacks were key turning points but did not mark a clean start for modern warfare.
  
  
• Operation Desert Storm (1991) showed a new blueprint for war:
  
  
• Precision weapons
  
  
• Speed in operations
  
  
• Technology-driven strategy
  
  
• Military experts now recognize how these early signs reshaped warfare doctrines.
  

Ukraine, West Asia, and India-Pakistan Conflict (2025)

• The Russia-Ukraine war and West Asia conflicts reflect the rapid evolution of warfare.
  
  
• Key technologies dominating battles:
  
  
• Drone warfare
  
  
• AI-driven targeting systems
  
  
• Loitering munitions (suicide drones)
  
  
• The May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict showcased:
  
  
• Fixed-wing drones, BrahMos missiles, and PL-15 long-range air-to-air missiles
  
  
• Shift to network-centric warfare and precision strikes
  
  
• Rise of multi-domain conflicts, including cyber, space, AI, and kinetic warfare.
  

Emergence of Technological Warfare

• Modern warfare is less about troop numbers and physical strength and more about technology and data.
  
  
• Emerging tools of war:
  
  
• Hypersonic missiles (fast, difficult to intercept)
  
  
• AI-enabled autonomous systems for surveillance and attack
  
  
• Cyber warfare and image-recognition-based targeting
  
  
• Wars today are digital, decentralized, and data-driven.
  
  
• Traditional doctrines and large standing armies are becoming obsolete.
  

Need for Adaptation in India

1. Defence Modernisation
   
   
• India must revise its military modernisation strategies to keep pace with rapidly changing warfare dynamics.
  
  
2. Reassessing Procurement Plans
   
   
• Existing weapon procurement tenders may be outdated.
  
  
• Plans need reevaluation to match the requirements of modern conflicts.
  
  
3. Fighter Jet Capabilities
   
   
• India lags behind as China advances with 5th and 6th generation jets.
  
  
• India’s Tejas program suffers from slow production and underperformance.
  
  
4. Advanced Drones and UAVs
   
   
• India needs to invest in high-altitude, long-endurance drones and UAVs for tech-driven warfare.
  
  
5. Supplier Diversification
   
   
• A diverse supplier base for military hardware is essential to strengthen strategic autonomy and resilience.
  

Practice Question: Q. What are the different elements of cyber security? Keeping in view the challenges in cyber security, examine the extent to which India has successfully developed a comprehensive National Cyber Security Strategy.