Future wars will be won by those who complete OODA loop the fastest: CISC

The Hindu

11-06-2025

Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC) Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit on Wednesday (June 11, 2025) highlighted China's notable military space programme expansion, stressing that modern warfare demanded deep surveillance of threats. He said future wars would be won by those who complete the Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act (OODA) loop the fastest.
'China's military space programme has expanded from operating just 36 satellites in 2010 to over 1,000 by 2024, with more than 360 dedicated to ISR [Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance] missions,' he said.
At the inaugural address of Surveillance & Electro-Optics 2025 seminar and exposition, the CISC said the creation of an independent Aerospace Force in April 2024 signalled China's recognition of space as the ultimate high ground in modern warfare.
'Their satellites have recently demonstrated sophisticated 'dogfighting' manoeuvres in LEO [Low Earth Orbit], practising tactics designed to track and potentially disable adversary space assets,' he said.
This Al-driven fusion of surveillance data enables real-time, unified situational awareness across all domains — land, air, sea, cyber, and space, said the CISC.
Stating that modern warfare required surveillance of potential threats when they were still in their staging areas, airfields, and bases, deep within adversary territory, he said the domain had evolved into becoming the very foundation of modern military operations.
'When we look at global conflicts commencing from Armenia-Azerbaijan to Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas and to our own experiences in Operation Sindoor, one truth emerges with crystal clarity: the side that sees first, sees farthest and sees most accurately, prevails,' the CISC said.
'...today, precision-guided munitions like SCALP, BrahMos and HAMMER have rendered geographical barriers almost meaningless, as strikes with BVR AAMs and supersonic AGMs have become commonplace,' said the CISC, referring to Operation Sindoor.
New reality
'The speed of modern weapons has fundamentally altered the OODA loop, compressing it from hours to minutes, sometimes even seconds. This new reality is being shaped by mega small satellite constellations...the fusion of Electro-Optical, SAR [Synthetic Aperture Radar] and SIGINT [Signals Intelligence] capabilities now enables a 24x7 dynamic, persistent and predictive mosaic of the battlefield,' he said.
The CISC said: 'Against networked adversaries, our ability to intercept, localise, and jam communications while integrating COMINT, ELINT [Electronic Intelligence] and cyber intelligence becomes crucial for maintaining operational superiority.'
He said the precision of modern weapons systems also demanded intelligence of equal precision.
'Operation Sindoor demonstrated that indigenous innovation, when properly harnessed, can match and even exceed international benchmarks. At the heart of our success was the Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS), a testament to Indian engineering excellence and strategic vision, which was also synced and integrated with the Indian Army's AkashTeer system...,' he said.
'IACCS compressed our sensor-to-shooter timelines dramatically, enabling responses that outpaced adversary decision cycles,' he said, adding that it demonstrated the importance of self-reliance in national security.
Noting that government efforts alone could not meet the pace of technological change, he said the Indian private sector had emerged as a critical partner. 'We need our private sector to push the boundaries in several critical areas. Integration of Al with electro-optic systems has the potential to revolutionise surveillance capabilities,' said the CISC.
He underscored the importance of developing multispectral, all-weather surveillance systems. 'We also need scalable and interoperable systems that can seamlessly integrate with existing military networks while remaining flexible enough to accommodate future technologies,' he said, adding that both ISRO and DRDO had shown commendable foresight in offering technology transfers to private players.
'As we look at the future, we must recognise that tomorrow's battlefield will demand sensors in all domains, data in the cloud, technology embedded in our systems and algorithms actively engaged in the fight...our MALE and HALE platforms including the MQ-9, RUSTOM and TAPAS, must therefore evolve with modular payloads, advanced sensor fusion and Al-assisted analysis to provide commanders with unprecedented situational awareness,' the CISC suggested.
He also recommended integration of mini hyperspectral sensors on UAVs, coupled with onboard edge computing, to reduce latency.