Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressing the inaugural edition of Ran Samvad 2025
Mhow: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday issued a strong call for long-term military preparedness, stressing that India’s armed forces must be ready for sudden, unpredictable wars that could extend over years rather than months.
Addressing the inaugural edition of Ran Samvad 2025 — a first-of-its-kind tri-service strategic seminar hosted at the Army War College in Madhya Pradesh — Singh said that the very character of warfare in the 21st century has undergone a radical transformation. Conflicts no longer follow predictable timelines, making sustained readiness a national imperative.
“In today’s era, wars have become so sudden and unpredictable that it is very difficult to predict when any war will end and how long it will last. We must be prepared for every situation,” the Defence Minister said. He cautioned that India’s armed forces should not limit themselves to short-term contingencies but plan for extended scenarios as well.
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“If any war is spread across two months, four months, a year, two years, or even five years, then we should be fully prepared for it,” Singh declared, underscoring the need for endurance, resilience, and resource sufficiency across the services.
The Defence Minister’s remarks come against the backdrop of intensifying global flashpoints — from protracted wars in Europe and West Asia to tensions in the Indo-Pacific. Analysts believe his statement is a direct message that India is reorienting its defence posture from quick, high-intensity engagements to sustained, long-haul preparedness.
Singh also highlighted India’s pursuit of self-reliance in defence manufacturing, noting that indigenisation of equipment and technology would be crucial to sustain prolonged conflicts without dependence on external supply chains.
Ran Samvad 2025 is designed to serve as India’s answer to international military dialogues like the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. The two-day seminar brings together the top brass of the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, alongside the Chief of Defence Staff, to deliberate on future warfare, jointness, and emerging domains such as cyber and space.
By calling for readiness to fight and sustain wars over extended durations, Singh’s message is being seen as a strategic directive to the services: ensure that India’s combat capability is not just immediate, but enduring.
