Army Chief Dwivedi inaugurates SITF, launches 6 new apps for digital transformation

New Delhi [India], May 20 (ANI): Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi on Wednesday visited the Directorate General of Information Systems (DGIS) to review digitalisation and technology initiatives being undertaken by the Indian Army.
In a post on X, the Indian Army said, "General Upendra Dwivedi, #COAS visited the Directorate General of Information Systems (DGIS) to review ongoing initiatives in the domains of digitalisation, Artificial Intelligence, systems integration and technology-enabled transformation within the #IndianArmy."

During the visit, the COAS inaugurated the Systems Integration and Test Facility (SITF), set up for the development, testing and validation of the Command Information and Decision Support System (CIDSS). He also launched six new-generation applications aimed at enhancing operational effectiveness, logistics integration, structured data generation and digitised administrative processes across the force.
General Dwivedi interacted with interns of the Indian Army Internship Programme (IAIP) 2025-26 and appreciated their "professionalism, creativity and dedication towards innovation and indigenous capability development."
Commending the efforts of DGIS, the COAS emphasised the importance of technology-driven transformation, Army-Academia collaboration and indigenous innovation in strengthening future-ready military capabilities, the post added.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, General Dwivedi delivered a wide-ranging address at a seminar titled 'Security to Prosperity', organised by the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), drawing direct lessons from Operation Sindoor and outlining a strategic vision for India's role in an increasingly contested global order.
Opening on the recent military operation, General Dwivedi described it as a landmark demonstration of coordinated national will. He said the operation "delivered military precision, information control, diplomatic signalling, and economic resolve as one coherent national act," adding that it struck deep, dismantled terror infrastructure and punctured a long-standing strategic assumption.

Notably, the Army Chief defended the deliberate cessation of hostilities after 88 hours, calling it a calculated strategic choice rather than a restraint born of limitation. "The deliberate halt after 88 hours was smart power in its most complete expression, knowing exactly which instrument to apply, at what intensity and precisely when to convert a military movement into a strategic one," he said.
Turning to the global strategic environment, General Dwivedi painted a sobering picture of a world veering away from liberal interdependence. He noted that the early 21st century was premised on the belief that trade, supply chains and digital connectivity would render nations too interdependent to go to war. That thesis, he argued, has been upended. (ANI)