Mhow: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Tuesday asserted that India needs to be armed, secure and self-reliant to fulfil the vision of Viksit Bharat, stating that “peace without power is utopian.”

Speaking at Run Samwad 2025, the first Tri-Services Seminar held at the Army War College in Dr Ambedkar Nagar (Mhow), Madhya Pradesh, Gen Chauhan highlighted the importance of academic pursuits in analysing the techniques and tactics of a war.

“India has always stood on the side of peace. We are a peace-loving nation, but don't get mistaken, we cannot be pacifists. I think peace without power is utopian,” he said. “If you want peace, prepare for war,” he added, quoting a Latin maxim to underscore the necessity of strength for safeguarding peace.

India must be armed, secure and self-reliant

Linking national development to military readiness, the CDS said that a developed India must also be 'Sashastra' (armed), 'Suraksit' (secure) and 'Aatmanirbhar' (self-reliant) not just in defence technology, but also in ideas and execution.

He called for greater public and academic engagement with the conceptual and tactical aspects of war, encouraging military scholars and strategists to analyse how wars are fought, both in theory and in practice.

Wisdom and weapons: Two sides of the same sword

Drawing on examples from Indian history and epics, Gen Chauhan stressed the enduring value of combining intellect with military strength.

“We have always spoken about 'Shastra' and 'Shaastra' in the same breath. They are actually the two blades of the same sword,” he said, pointing to the strategic partnerships of Arjuna and Krishna in the Mahabharata, and Chandragupta and Chanakya in ancient Indian history.

He also acknowledged India’s deep-rooted tradition of non-violence, referring to Gautam Buddha, Mahavir Jain, and Mahatma Gandhi as global icons of peace.

Need for deeper military scholarship

In his address, the CDS highlighted the lack of critical academic literature on India's own military operations and strategy. While wars have been documented historically, there is, he said, limited scholarly analysis of these conflicts.

“India has been a fountainhead of knowledge and ideas in ancient times," he noted. “In contemporary times, we have literature on the history of wars being fought by us, but very little literature on scholarly analysis of these wars for scholarly discourse on strategy and operations. Serious research needs to be done on all dimensions of war.”

Gen Chauhan urged the armed forces to promote a culture of open debate and intellectual exchange. He stressed the need for harmonising technological innovation from the younger generation with the experience of veterans, and said platforms like Run Samvad should encourage such dialogue.

About Run Samwad 2025

Ran Samwad 2025 is a two-day Tri-service dialogue on war, warfare and warfighting held at the Army War College in Dr Ambedkar Nagar. The event will bring serving military professionals to the forefront of strategic dialogue, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh delivering the plenary address on the final day, according to a press release.

A few Joint Doctrines and the Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap will also be released during the event.

The event has been curated by Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff and Centre for Joint Warfare Studies, in conjunction with the Army Training Command, under the guidance of CDS.

The event is expected to feature the participation of top military leadership from all three Services, alongside renowned defence experts, leaders from the defence industry and international security professionals.

ANI inputs