Ran Samvad: Brainstorming Lessons From Op Sindor

Ran Samvad stresses a whole-of-nation approach to modern warfare, urging broader engagement and investment in innovation

- Brig Suyash Sharma, VSM (Retd)

"Ran Samvad," the very name, is in itself a symbolic step toward decolonising our thought processes. 'Ran' refers to combat, and 'Samvad' implies dialogue. The intent was clear—to bring together the best professionals from all relevant fields, whether military, academia, industry, or media, and to debate the challenges of technology-driven warfare and its attributes in depth. However, conspicuous by their absence were bureaucrats from the Ministries of Defence, Defence Production, External Affairs, and Finance. This absence was ironic, because the seminar repeatedly emphasised that warfare today is a 'whole of nation' endeavour. If that is the case, then how could some of the most important stakeholders remain missing in action?

The idea that the whole nation goes to war is not new. History shows that it was never just the military of a nation that fought—it was always the nation as a whole, including industry, people, business, and diplomats. As Clausewitz said, "war is diplomacy by other means." Quoting Clausewitz may be unfashionable today, but I struggled to find a Chanakya quote that fit as aptly. Honestly, merely quoting Kautilya in speeches is not enough to decolonise the deeply British-regimented ethos of our Army.