Armed forces must be ready for extended conflicts, says Rajnath Singh

The Indian armed forces must be prepared for diverse security challenges, from short-term conflicts to wars stretching up to five years, said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday.

“In today’s era, wars have become so sudden and unpredictable that it is very difficult to predict when any war will end and how long it will last,” Singh said, speaking during an event at the Army War College in Madhya Pradesh’s Mhow.

The defence minister said that the country must be prepared for the possibility of a war stretching “for two months, four months, a year, two years, even five years”.

Speaking at ‘Ran Samwad’ in Mhow. https://t.co/VpgCaGA06Z— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) August 27, 2025

In the current era, any conflict affects the whole country, said Singh. He added that major components of security have come to encompass a country’s economic systems, industrial structures, technological capabilities and educational systems.

“Therefore, the scope of defence preparedness cannot be limited to the armed forces alone,” Singh told the gathering. “National security is no longer just a matter of the Army, but has become an issue of a whole-of-nation approach.”

The minister added: “We do not want anyone’s land, but we are ready to go to any extent to protect our land.”

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