The Indian Army’s Central Command organised its first Strategic Communication Conclave in Lucknow, bringing together military leaders, diplomats, communication experts and media professionals to examine the growing role of information and perception in modern warfare.
The event saw around 500 participants, including senior officers from the Central Command and communication professionals from government institutions and the private sector.
According to a Defence Ministry statement, the the conclave involved deliberations and panel discussions on strategic communication in the national security architecture.
In his opening address, Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Command, highlighted the evolving nature of warfare, noting that conflicts now increasingly involve information and cognitive domains alongside conventional military operations.
Underscoring the crucial role of perception management, he stated that perception shapes legitimacy, legitimacy shapes influence, and influence shapes outcomes.
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He also spoke about the weaponisation of narratives and the threat from conflicts below the threshold of war. He pointed out that strategic communication cannot remain reactive, episodic, or personality-driven, but must become institutionalised, doctrine-backed, and capability-driven.
The conclave included a policy-level session on the theme “Institutionalising Strategic Communication as a Capability for Future Preparedness in the Emerging Information Space”.
Speakers included Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj (Retd), Ambassador Yashvardhan Sinha (Retd) and Lt Gen Raj Shukla (Retd).
A separate interactive session on “Strategic Communication in Emerging Multi-Domain Operations: Strategies, Structures, Processes and Preparedness” brought together retired civil and military officials including Ambassador Dilip Sinha, Dr Shantanu Mukharji, Veena Jain and Lt Gen D.P. Pandey.
Panel discussions with media on the themes ‘Shaping the mind space: Perception Management in the Strategic Domain’ and ‘Information Power and Strategic Communication’ addressed the importance of perception management and information power.
According to the ministry, the conclave was aimed at examining strategic communication as an institutional capability within India’s national security architecture and generating actionable insights on doctrine, structures, processes and preparedness in the emerging information space.
