New Delhi [India], November 9 : Former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan has called for making strategic thinking an integral part of national education, stressing that India's national security preparedness must extend beyond the armed forces and government institutions to include universities, citizens and society at large.
Delivering the inaugural lecture on 'Strategic Culture of India and National Security' at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on November 3, Chauhan underlined the need to strengthen the country's understanding of strategic affairs by incorporating Indian political thought, statecraft, military history, diplomacy, technology and national security into academic discourse.
He emphasised the importance of bridging the gap between universities and military war colleges, saying that strategic awareness should become part of the broader national education framework.
"The first task is to make strategic thinking part of national education," Chauhan said.
Highlighting the changing nature of security challenges, the former CDS identified cognitive warfare as a significant threat to national security, pointing to the growing use of deepfakes, information manipulation, influence operations and social media to shape public perception and influence societies.
He said cognitive warfare should not be viewed merely as a contest of narratives or a public relations exercise, but as a challenge that requires wider societal awareness and resilience.
"Cognitive warfare is not just a battle of narrative nor it is public relations exercise. Its understanding must become part of national resilience building," he said.
Chauhan cautioned that the spread of manipulated information and the ability to influence perceptions before facts are verified could deepen divisions within society. He stressed that strengthening national resilience would require citizens to understand these emerging threats and recognise their implications for the country's security.
He also emphasised that national security was not limited to protecting territorial boundaries or maintaining military strength. According to him, the idea of security encompasses political, ideological, cultural and technological frontiers, making citizens an important part of the country's overall preparedness.
"No power, I repeat, no power can threaten the frontiers of a nation whose citizens are aware and informed," he said.
On India's strategic outlook, Chauhan highlighted the relevance of both dharma and Kautilya's principles of statecraft, arguing that ethical restraint and strategic realism must go together. He said India should maintain its commitment to ethical conduct while ensuring that its approach to security is guided by preparedness, clarity and an understanding of geopolitical realities.
"We should retain the restraint and ethical confidence of dharma. We should also retain the strategic clarity, preparedness and realism of Kautilya," he said.
Stressing the relationship between peace and preparedness, Chauhan said a country must be capable of protecting its interests and responding to challenges to preserve stability.
"A mature society understands that peace is best preserved by preparedness and by resilience," he said.
The former CDS also drew attention to the expanding scope of strategic competition, noting that economic and technological instruments were increasingly being used as tools of influence and pressure. He pointed to the weaponisation of trade, finance, critical minerals, energy, technology, supply chains, standards, data and information.
"Economic interdependence is being weaponised. Trade, finance, critical minerals, energy, technology, standards, supply chains, data, information. Everything is weaponised today," Chauhan said.
Chauhan further stressed the importance of developing an Indian strategic vocabulary and communicating the country's strategic thought in languages that people understand. He said Indian ideas and perspectives should be articulated in Indian languages to make them more accessible and relevant to society.
"Indian thought must be articulated in Indian languages and in the language which Indians understand," he said.