Modern conflict is no longer about piling up divisions on a map. It is about how fast and how well a force can move technology across land, sea, air, space, cyber and the information space. That spirit was clear at RANSAMVAD 2025 in the Army War College. The Defence Minister called Operation Sindoor “a striking demonstration of technology-driven warfare,” while the Chief of Defence Staff stressed that the rise of technology demands quick, joint responses across all domains. The formal release of India’s Joint Doctrine for Multi-Domain Operations underlined that integration is now a matter of policy, not preference.

Disruptive Technology in Warfare

Technology has always changed war, the stirrup powered heavy cavalry, gunpowder ended the age of armoured knights, tanks and radio enabled Blitzkrieg, radar and nuclear weapons reshaped the Second World War, and precision weapons plus satellites defined late-20th-century campaigns. What is different today is the speed and the pile-up. Many technologies e.g. AI, cyber tools, quantum research, hypersonics, unmanned systems, space assets, biotechnology and big data are maturing together.  When linked, they create effects far bigger than any single invention.

This convergence also blurs the line between war and peace. Cyber intrusions, disinformation and anti-satellite moves happen every day, below the threshold of declared conflict, yet they shape the field before the first shot. Because digital systems evolve faster than traditional platforms, doctrine and organisations must adapt quickly or become obsolete. In the past, new kit could be bolted onto old thinking; now cyber, space and information effects touch every other arm in real time. A single cyber strike that darkens radars can open a window for precision air attack. The centre of gravity has shifted from platforms to networks and from mass to decision speed.

Information as the Central Factor

Information is therefore central. The side that observes, orients, decides and acts faster wins. Sensors, networks and decision-support tools matter as much as the number of battalions. Advantage lies in connecting all the assets including soldiers, shooters, sensors and software into a responsive web. A force with excellent individual platforms but poor connectivity can still be out-matched by an opponent that synchronises modest assets well.

Turning this idea into reality is hard. Institutions carry habits; change threatens turf and comfort. True jointness means fusing data from visible and invisible domains, and that is technically and doctrinally demanding. Many legacy platforms are not born-digital and are costly to upgrade. Access to cutting-edge tech is also uneven, which is why Atmanirbhar Bharat is not just a slogan but a strategic need. Human capital must shift too as soldiers trained for manoeuvre and firepower must become comfortable with AI tools, cyber defence, space-enabled ISR and data hygiene. Command and control must be agile and decentralised without losing coherence, and budgets must both feed the future and sustain today’s forces.

Strategy must therefore be widened. Classical definitions focused on using land, sea and air forces to achieve political aims. Today, strategy has to employ the full spectrum of military and related capabilities including land, maritime, air, space, cyber and the information environment, in peace, crisis and war. It must blend kinetic and non-kinetic means to create advantage, deny options to the adversary and shape outcomes in line with national policy. Not all useful actors will wear uniform; commercial satellites, civil tech firms, online communities and influencers also play roles that can help or hurt.

Manoeuvre in the age of MDO

The idea of “manoeuvre” has also expanded. Earlier, it meant moving formations to gain position. In MDO, manoeuvre includes placing effects in time and cyberspace. Planting malware in an adversary’s logistics network before hostilities can be as decisive as shifting a brigade. Small, distributed units linked to long-range fires, drones and satellites can punch above their weight. Physical movement still counts, but it now marches alongside cyber action, space-based sensing and information shaping. MDO does not make traditional arms redundant; it makes them interdependent.

Leaders must evolve with this battlespace. Strategic leadership today is not only about operations and logistics; it also needs fluency in technology. Leaders must be able to organise space-enabled ISR, oversee offensive and defensive cyber, protect data, use AI-led targeting and decision-support, integrate autonomous systems, and manage narratives at home and abroad. They must think in systems, not silos; design networks, not just battles; and build cross-domain teams that can fight through jamming, deception and information noise.

For India, the implications are practical. Build a joint ISR backbone that flows from space to the last tactical mile. Network sensors and shooters across services with open architectures so that new tools can plug in quickly. Harden command networks and practice fighting with partial or no communications. Field layered counter-UAS and air defence with plenty of economical interceptors, backed by passive measures like dispersion, camouflage, decoys and disciplined emissions. Modernise legacy platforms where it makes sense, but invest heavily in software, data pipes and training. Above all, anchor all this in domestic industry and deep talent so that supply chains, updates and spares are reliable in crisis.

RANSAMVAD 2025 has set the tone by declaring multi-domain integration as doctrine. The task now is execution – turning policy into habits on the ground, in the air, at sea, in orbit and online. If the last century celebrated generals who manoeuvred forces, the next will reward leaders who manoeuvre technology, timing and truth.

The winner will be the side that shortens its “see-decide-act” loop while stretching the enemy’s. India should prioritise three moves – a truly joint ISR-and-targeting network, a national counter-UAS programme with layered, affordable defences, and mission-command training that trusts units to act fast under contested communications. Get these right, and MDO becomes an advantage, not a burden.