Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani, delivering a Special Address at the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD) 2026 in New Delhi on 5 November, emphasised that future maritime advantage would depend less on possessing advanced technologies than on the ability to adapt, integrate and sustain them. He highlighted the growing vulnerability of undersea communication cables, which carry over 99 per cent of global communications, and called for interconnected maritime systems linking ships, satellites, drones and autonomous platforms. Advocating technological self-reliance alongside trusted international partnerships, Subramani cautioned against closed technological architectures and stressed the importance of interoperability and shared standards. He also called for closer collaboration between armed forces, academia, industry and startups, with operational requirements guiding technological innovation. Warning against excessive dependence on artificial intelligence and automation, he underscored that human judgement must remain central to military decision-making, observing that speed is not the same as wisdom and information is not the same as understanding.