Don't seek prolonged wars as they impact economy: CDS Anil Chauhan
New Delhi: Prolonged wars and extended troop mobilisations have a significant economic cost and can hamper national development, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said on Saturday, referring to the recent
India-Pakistan conflict
.
"From an economic standpoint, prolonged mobilisations impose a huge financial burden. India has remained mobilised for months without actual combat, and that is unsustainable. We disengage swiftly once an operation concludes. We do not seek prolonged wars because they slow national development-a goal some adversaries may want to hinder," General Chauhan said at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
Responding to speculation about Chinese assistance to Pakistan during the conflict, the CDS said there is no definitive proof that Beijing provided real-time targeting information, though he acknowledged that over 80% of Pakistan's military equipment comes from China.
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"While Pakistan likely leveraged Chinese sources, we haven't seen hard evidence of real-time targeting support. In contrast, India relied on indigenous systems like Akash, which performed well in integrating various platforms, including imported radars, into a cohesive defence system," he said.
Downplaying concerns of nuclear escalation, General Chauhan said both sides displayed rational behaviour during the conflict. "I saw rationality in both thought and action. So why assume that there will be irrationality in the nuclear domain?" he told Reuters on the sidelines of the event.
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In a seminar session, the CDS said it was plausible that Pakistan used Chinese or Western commercial satellite imagery and may have sought assistance from allies. He reiterated India's focus on self-reliance in defence modernisation, noting that imported systems may not always be reliable-particularly in networked warfare scenarios.
Gen Chauhan also revealed that nearly 15% of operational time during Operation Sindoor was spent countering disinformation, much of it on social media. He underlined the urgent need for a dedicated information warfare vertical to address this emerging challenge.
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