IAF calls for multi-domain operations to tackle evolving warfare, stresses integration across cyber, space and cognitive domains

Senior Indian Air Force officers on Friday underscored the urgent need to adopt multi-domain operations to tackle the rapidly evolving nature of modern warfare, as the two-day ‘Ran Samvad-2026’ seminar concluded. The discussions focused on the expanding battlespace across traditional, cyber, space and cognitive domains, and the need for seamless integration of capabilities to ensure operational effectiveness and national security.

“Ran Samvad is an extremely timely and appropriate initiative taken at the level of the Chief of Defence Staff,” Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor told PTI, highlighting the importance of the forum in shaping future military thought.

“The topic is absolutely relevant to what we are witnessing today, how everyone must come together to enable and execute multi-domain operations,” he said.


Kapoor added that the deliberations would lead to concrete outcomes for the armed forces. “I am sure that from this seminar, which concludes today after entering its second day, we will carry forward some very key deliverables. These will help us emerge as a highly effective defence force and as a strong nation in conducting any future iterations of warfare, should the need arise,” he told PTI.

What are traditional, cyber, space and cognitive domains

Traditional domains refer to conventional battlefields such as land, air and sea, where military forces engage using physical assets like troops, aircraft and naval fleets. The cyber domain involves digital warfare, including hacking, disrupting networks and targeting critical infrastructure. The space domain covers the use of satellites and other space-based systems for communication, surveillance and navigation, along with efforts to disable or protect these assets. The cognitive domain focuses on influencing human perception and decision-making through information warfare, propaganda and psychological operations.

Multi-domain operations a strategic shift

Air Marshal Tejinder Singh described multi-domain operations as a transformative shift in military strategy driven by technological advancements and changing conflict dynamics.

“The concept of multi-domain operations is a new paradigm designed to address the contemporary battlespace, which has expanded due to advancements in non-traditional domains such as space and cyber, along with the cognitive domain,” he told PTI.

He noted that the speed and complexity of modern warfare require rapid decision-making and integrated responses. “It is now possible to create multiple operational options within a very short time frame. Therefore, to utilise them effectively, we must transition to this concept of multi-domain operations,” Singh said.

Focus on technology, AI and jointness

Singh emphasised that future warfare will rely on advanced technologies and deeper coordination among services. “This approach will be technologically intensive, fully collaborative, going well beyond traditional jointness, and will harness new technologies, including artificial intelligence, to achieve information superiority and decision dominance,” he told PTI.

Highlighting the defining features of multi-domain operations, he said, “Its key attributes are speed, tempo, and synergy.”