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    OPINION                                                              JANUARY 23, 2026      |  The Indian Eye 11

            of human intelligence with persistent   to become a national combat disci-  a National Security Strategy. India   cepts will prove costly.
            high-altitude, stealth-based intelli-  pline. It requires doctrine, trained   has  made  significant  improvements   Used as a mirror, Operation
            gence, surveillance and reconnais-  cadres, permanent  peacetime  re-  in jointness, particularly with theatre   Absolute Resolve pushes India to
            sance,  and  maritime-enabled com-  hearsal cycles, civilian power grid   command  debates  and  integrated   accelerate  Theatreisation,  build  a
            mand networks. India must therefore   resilience, and assured, satellite-in-  planning. However, Absolute Re-  genuinely integrated C5ISR archi-
            prioritize a sustained forward intelli-  dependent communications. The   solve shows that even the best equip-  tecture, and elevate SF Command
            gence presence across all eight di-  Venezuelan case demonstrates that   ment fails if the state cannot think,   and air power integration to a new
            mensions, long-endurance, stealth,   once your sensors are blinded, your   decide and act at the required speed.   level, while remaining anchored in
            surveillance,  deeper  integration  decision cycle collapses. When the   Further, it highlights India’s strategic   India’s strategic culture and neigh-
            between civilian and military intelli-  decision cycle collapses, everything   weakness: the absence of a national   borhood-centric objectives.
            gence, and a dedicated national-level   else follows. Above all, it highlights   strategic security construct.  Operation  Absolute  Resolve
            pattern-of-life analytics.        the importance of an indigenous de-   India possesses competent Spe-  demonstrated  what  a  mature
                In  future  crises  involving  fense ecosystem.                 cial Forces. What they require is   21st-century military ecosystem looks
            high-value  targets, adversary  com-  For India, which operates layered   precisely  what  the  United States   like when  activated. It  showed  that
            mand centers or critical military in-  air defenses including modern long-  demonstrated. Long-range air mobil-  air defense networks built on reputed
            frastructure, intelligence preparation   range missile systems, the message is   ity is protected by credible electronic   systems can collapse quickly if they
            may last months or years, but the fi-  not alarmist. Instead, it is a call for   warfare cover. National capacity to   are not supported by resilient pow-
            nal execution window may shrink to   realism. Systems must be continually   destroy or neutralize hostile air de-  er,  robust networks  and  disciplined
            minutes. The one-to-many ratio be-  trained to fight under conditions of to-  fense networks rapidly. Real-time in-  doctrine. It revealed that future wars
            tween preparation time and kinetic   tal electromagnetic hostility. Dummy   telligence fusion. Maritime support   will begin in the electromagnetic
            execution demonstrated in Venezu-  emitters, mobile deception networks,   platforms that can sustain operations   spectrum  long  before  missiles  fly.
            ela represents the operational stan-  hardened underground command   beyond immediate borders—deep    It has been shown that intelligence
            dard of future power actions.     sites, and rapid dispersal doctrines are   doctrinal confidence among political   preparation now exceeds all other
                Perhaps the most striking ele-  essential. India should also accelerate   leadership to employ them when re-  priorities.  It  confirmed  that  tempo,
            ment of the Venezuelan episode was   investment in its own Suppression of   quired.                   integration and cognitive speed con-
            the quiet violence that preceded the   Enemy Air Defense capability. Future   India lives in a far more contest-  vert capability into decisive effect.
            kinetic strikes. As American aircraft   conflicts in our region will almost cer-  ed strategic geography than Venezu-  For India, the most profound les-
            and special operations helicopters   tainly demand the neutralization of   ela.  Across  our  continental borders   son is that the battlefield now begins
            moved, Venezuela’s air defense sys-  hostile missile shields. That requires   lie two adversaries with sophisticated   in cables, satellites, power grids, fiber
            tems went blind, deaf and confused.   indigenous anti-radiation weapons,   air defense networks, advanced cy-  optics, routers, servers and minds.
            Radars built to detect stealth aircraft,   offensive electronic-warfare aircraft,   ber capabilities, electronic warfare   Army formations, fighter aircraft and
            imported with the promise of surviv-  cyber integration with kinetic strikes,   capabilities and strong surveillance   naval fleets will always matter. Still,
            ability, were electronically paralyzed.   and doctrinal clarity on how to dis-  architectures. At sea, India faces an   they will operate only if the nation’s
            Command networks lost connectiv-  mantle layered defenses under time   expanding Chinese maritime foot-  digital nervous system survives and
            ity. Grid-linked systems were ren-  pressure.                       print, supported by strategic access   all assets in the multi-domain bat-
            dered powerless as cyber operations   One of the most remarkable as-  to Indian Ocean logistics. Internally   tlespace are networked. India needs
            reportedly disrupted electricity distri-  pects of the operation was tempo.   and regionally, high-value targets   to invest deeply in electronic war-
            bution. Systems that appear powerful   More than 150 aircraft reportedly   and challenges posed by irregular   fare as a central combat capability.
            in static photographs are reduced to   operated from multiple locations.   warfare will persist.      Strengthen cyber and grid resilience.
            expensive pieces of silent metal.  Electronic warfare, cyber action,    Therefore, the Venezuelan ep-  Build long-endurance, stealth ISR
                For India, it has three lessons.  Special Forces insertion, air defense   isode speaks to India across three   and maritime-enabled intelligence
            • First, air defense systems alone do   suppression and command target-  broad levels.                support. Prepare theatre-level sup-
              not secure skies. Without hard-  ing unfolded almost simultaneously.   First, deterrence is no longer   pression of enemy air defenses. Insti-
              ened, resilient, redundant and   Within roughly half an hour of initial   simply about visible weapons. Deter-  tutionalize a rapid decision culture.
              intelligent  networks,  even  sophis-  suppression, the ground capture was   rence now rests on whether a nation   A dispassionate SWOT analysis of
              ticated surface-to-air missiles be-  effectively secured. Within hours,   can protect its nervous system. Power   future warfare capabilities is re-
              come irrelevant.                the extraction was complete. For the   grids,  military communication net-  quired, with a time-sensitive action
            • Second, electronic warfare is not   defending state, this meant that de-  works, satellite resilience, electromag-  plan to ensure readiness. Future wars
              an accessory. It is not a supplemen-  tection, decision,  coordination  and   netic spectrum dominance and robust   will not be defined by what is in the
              tal arm. It is now as central as air   response all had to occur inside an   ISR decide survival. Thus, deterrence   inventory; they will be determined by
              power or ground maneuver.       almost impossibly compressed time-  is all about denial and domination.  how one denies and dominates in a
            • Third, India must assume that in   frame. Their systems were not mere-  Second, India must internalize   cyber- and electronic-warfare-satu-
              any future conflict involving tech-  ly outmatched technologically; they   that future decisive actions will rely   rated multi-domain operational en-
              nologically advanced adversaries,   were outpaced both cognitively and   on rapid, integrated operations rath-  vironment.
              our own systems will face intense   by the kill web.              er than sequential ones. Intelligence,   Lt Gen A.B. Shivane, PVSM, AVSM,
              jamming,  spoofing,  cyber  disrup-  For India, this highlights the im-  cyber shaping, electronic paralysis,   VSM (Retd) is a former Strike Corps
              tion, deceptive electromagnetic   portance of decision architecture. In   information  warfare  and  kinetic   Commander and Director General of
              signatures and potentially coordi-  any major crisis or limited war con-  strike will occur as a single orches-  Mechanized Forces.
              nated power infrastructure manip-  tingency, our political and military   trated event. This demands joint the-  Views expressed are of the author and
              ulation.                        leadership must expect extremely   atre thinking.                    do not necessarily reflect the views of
                India  has  made  significant   compressed timelines. This requires   Third, India should draw both
            strides in electronic warfare through   pre-authorized  frameworks,  re-  confidence and caution. Confidence,   the Manohar Parrikar IDSA or of the
                                                                                                                         Government of India.
            DRDO programmes, dedicated elec-  hearsed joint-force responses, rapid   because many elements demonstrat-
            tronic-warfare suites on aircraft, and   political-military decision synchro-  ed by the United States are already   This article first appeared in the
            specialized ground platforms. But   nization, and a mission-command   under serious development within   Comments section of the website (www.
            the lesson here is scale and integra-  culture within services. India lacks   the Indian system. Caution: com-  idsa.in) of Manohar Parrikar Institute
            tion. Electronic warfare must move   a strategic war-gaming and scenar-  placency about imported air defense   for Defense Studies and Analyses, New
            beyond platform-specific equipment   io-building model in the absence of   systems or traditional security con-  Delhi, on January 10, 2026

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