TLDR: Lt Gen Manoj Kumar Katiyar highlighted artificial intelligence as a critical innovation shaping future security and combat, speaking at a seminar titled ‘Warfare Re-Imagined: AI at the Heart of Future Combat’ organized by the Army’s Western Command. He stressed the imperative of integrating AI into defense for technological advantage, emphasizing military-technological synergy, ethical considerations, and collaboration across sectors.
On August 31, 2025, Lieutenant General Manoj Kumar Katiyar, a prominent figure in India’s defense establishment, delivered a key address at a seminar in Chandimandir, asserting that artificial intelligence (AI) stands at the forefront of innovation and will be crucial in shaping the future of security. The seminar, titled ‘Warfare Re-Imagined: AI at the Heart of Future Combat,’ was organized by the Army’s Western Command and held at the Manekshaw Auditorium, Chandimandir Military Station.
Lt Gen Katiyar underscored that AI embodies adaptability, resilience, and readiness, which are essential attributes for confronting future challenges. He highlighted that the integration of AI raises critical questions across security and military domains, particularly concerning independent decision-making, ethics, and responsibility. According to Katiyar, adopting AI in defense is no longer an option but an imperative to secure a technological advantage in an increasingly contested global environment.
He urged for a robust military-technological synergy, emphasizing the need for ethical responsibility in AI development and deployment. Furthermore, he called for extensive collaboration with industry and academia to ensure the armed forces remain at the cutting edge of technological adaptation. This collaborative approach is vital for fostering innovation and maintaining superiority.
The seminar featured various sessions that delved into the practical applications of AI, including its integration into the operational paradigm to achieve combat superiority, its role in cognitive warfare and cyber dominance for force readiness, and its potential for logistic precision and training transformation. Speakers at the event also stressed the importance of indigenization in AI development, ethical considerations, and close cooperation between the armed forces, industry, and academia.
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The event brought together a diverse group of participants, including senior military leadership, domain experts from academia, professionals from the defense industry, members of the Gyan Chakra think tank, global experts, and students from local universities and colleges. Lt Gen Katiyar concluded by stating that the armed forces must blend AI-driven innovation with the ingenuity of the soldier to remain future-ready and safeguard the nation’s security interests. He stressed that the implications of AI extend beyond technology, touching upon fundamental issues of life and death for humanity.
