'Even Trump doesn't know ... ': Army chief Upendra Dwivedi flags fog of 'clueless' future; cites India's challenges

NEW DELHI: Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Saturday addressed a gathering in his hometown Rewa in Madhya Pradesh, where he reflected on Operation Sindoor, spoke about the future of warfare, and even took a dig at US President Donald Trump over his unpredictable statements and recent claims about mediating peace between India and Pakistan.

Speaking at an event at TRS College, General Dwivedi highlighted the uncertainty and complexity of emerging global challenges. He said, "... Future challenges are coming. They're instability, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity... You and I are completely clueless about what the future holds."




He then added, "What is Trump doing today? I think even Trump doesn't know what he is going to do tomorrow. Challenges are coming so quickly that by the time you try to grasp an old challenge, a new one emerges, and the same security challenges our military faces. Whether it's on the border, terrorism, natural disasters, or cyber warfare. The new things that have started: space warfare, satellites, chemical, biological, radiological, and information warfare. The way rumours are spread. As you heard in Operation Sindoor, Karachi has been attacked. So much such news came, which seemed like news to us too. Where did it come from, who did it?... In the scope of all these challenges, you have to work on land, sky, water and all three..."

Speaking to reporters in Rewa, General Dwivedi asserted that India only destroyed terrorist infrastructure in the neighbouring country.

In response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan. The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes that ended on May 10 with an understanding to stop military actions.

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"Operation Sindoor was successful because we fought with the combined strength of our principles and technology. We made it a point that no innocent civilians in Pakistan suffered. We only targeted terrorists and their bosses," the Army chief said.

Addressing students at his alma mater, Rewa Sainik School, he added that Indian forces exercised restraint during the operation. "We attacked places that had the presence of terrorists. We did not target innocent civilians or defence installations. We achieved our goal in Operation Sindoor and sent a message to Pakistan that we are not like them," he said, adding that no action was taken during prayers or namaz.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that he negotiated a peace deal between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. India, however, has consistently refuted these claims, maintaining that all issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir are strictly bilateral and that no third-party mediation is acceptable.
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