The Indian Army’s Southern Command successfully conducted Sanyukt Shakti –Southern Star Military Civil Fusion Seminar at Bhuj, Gujarat, from Oct 27th to 29th over three days, marking yet another step inadvancing the national vision guided by the Prime Minister’s directive on JAI – Jointness, Atmanirbharta and Innovation, and Raksha Mantri’s Directive on Promoting Public–Private Partnership during the ‘Year of

Reforms’. The seminar embodied the spirit of true Military–Civil Fusion (MCF) in the border state of Gujarat, with its expansive coastline, and industrial dynamism serving as an ideal environment venue to synergise security, economic and societal dimensions for national development.

The changing character of warfare has increasingly blurred traditional distinctions between conflict and peace, soldiers and citizens, and kinetic and non-kinetic domains. Today’s challenges emerge within a grey-zone continuum of Conflict, Confrontation, Cooperation, Competition, and Coexistence, where uncertainty and complexity shape the security environment. In the journey towards Viksit Bharat @ 2047, national security

has become a collective endeavour. The Indian Army, as one of its key pillars, works in close coordination with government, industry, academia, media, and civil society. This Whole-of-Nation Approach encourages every Indian to act as a responsible and resilient citizen warrior, contributing to the nation’s strength and awareness across both physical and cognitive domains.

Within this evolving paradigm, Southern Command stands as a pivotal institution, with its area of responsibility spanning eleven states and four Union Territories, covering a diverse spectrum of borders, coasts, urban centers, and hinterland. To operationalise the vision of Military–Civil Fusion, nine Regional Military Civil Fusion Nodes have been established across the Command area, each serving as a hub for coordination between military formations, civil administration, academia, industry, and disaster response agencies. This network enables real-time collaboration on border area development, infrastructure resilience, and community empowerment.

Through these initiatives, Southern Command continues to harmonise security imperatives with the larger goals of governance, growth, and national preparedness.

The recently conducted ‘Sanyukt Shakti – Southern Star Military Civil Fusion Seminar’ at Bhuj built upon this vision by centering discussions on border area development and security. Over three days, senior officers of the Indian Army, representatives from Central Armed Police Forces, officials from Central and State Governments, leading academicians, industry experts, and members of the State Police came together to deliberate on enhancing coordination in border management, infrastructure development, disaster response and security preparedness. The seminar focused on structured ideation on integrating technology, logistics, and dual-use infrastructure to strengthen India’s frontier resilience while improving the quality of life in border communities. It also examined mechanisms for collective response in grey-zone scenarios and drew lessons from Operation Sindoor, underscoring that the security and progress of border regions depend on seamless cooperation among all stakeholders, military, civil, and citizen alike.

A notable highlight was the discussion on veterans as pillars of national strength, wherein retired personnel shared insights on leveraging their experience to enhance capacity building, infrastructure support, and community resilience in remote border regions. The seminar further emphasised the role of digital citizens in safeguarding cyberspace, promoting awareness, and fostering responsible digital conduct, integral to national security in an interconnected world.

‘Sanyukt Shakti’ thus represented more than an academic exchange; it embodied the living principle of unity in diversity — “United in Strength, Self-Reliant in Spirit.” The convergence of military, civil, and academic perspectives reflected the Army’s evolving approach to national defence, one that views security not merely as a function of weapons and systems, but as a shared responsibility of governance, industry, and citizenry.

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