The CORE Programme 2026 concluded on Friday at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi, closing a five day tri-service and inter-ministerial engagement on contemporary and emerging national security challenges.

The Combined Operational Review and Evaluation (CORE) Programme was organised by Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) and conducted by the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS). It ran from Monday to Friday this week and brought together senior officers from the three Services alongside officials from the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs, according to an official release.

What the CORE Programme 2026 Set Out to Cover

The programme was built as a platform for senior military and civil officials to exchange perspectives on jointness and integration, ongoing conflicts and modern ways of warfighting. The non kinetic aspects of national security, defence production and capability development rounded out the agenda over the five days.

Discussions also extended into the technologies reshaping military planning: Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Quantum Computing, alongside cognitive warfare, strategic communication and counter disinformation operations.

Top Military Leadership Engages Directly With Participants

One feature of the programme HQ IDS chose to highlight was the direct interaction of senior military leadership with the course participants. Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen N.S. Raja Subramani, Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Krishna Swaminathan and Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC) Air Mshl Tejinder Singh engaged with the officers on modern day warfighting, decision making at the apex level and the security challenges currently on the table.

Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) Air Mshl Ashutosh Dixit and Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS) Lt Gen Sandeep Jain also interacted with the participants, sharing their own perspectives on contemporary issues facing the Services.


Academia and Think Tanks Widen the Table

The CORE Programme drew participation from Subject Matter Experts, academia, think tanks and representatives of various Government institutions. HQ IDS said the diverse mix facilitated comprehensive discussions on the changing character of warfare and the need for coordinated national responses to emerging security challenges.

A Programme Run by HQ IDS and CENJOWS

CENJOWS has coordinated the CORE Programme 2026 on behalf of HQ IDS, work that sits alongside the think tank's other joint professional military education efforts through the year, including the Tri-Services Future Warfare Course that opened at the same venue in August. Gen Raja Subramani also delivered the keynote address at that course's fourth edition, and HQ IDS closed it out three weeks later when the course concluded in late August.

Coordination Across Ministries Was the Underlying Theme

HQ IDS said the CORE Programme contributed to strengthening inter departmental coordination and inter agency jointness, bringing the Defence Forces, civil ministries and key institutions onto a common platform.

The deliberations pointed to the importance of closer coordination across the diplomatic, informational, economic and military domains, and to the case for a Whole of Nation approach to national security, HQ IDS said. Scenario based exercises on cognitive warfare and strategic communication rounded out the final sessions.