Mechanised Forces Symposium 2026 opened at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi on Wednesday, with Chief of the Army Staff General Dhiraj Seth telling serving officers, veterans and industry that new equipment and new structures alone will not transform the Army.

In the Cavalry Memorial Address, titled Vision for Future Warfighting in the Indian Subcontinent, he said transformation also needs a culture of innovation, technological adaptation and agility, with the soldier, the Yoddha, at its core.

Army Chief sets out three priorities at Mechanised Forces Symposium 2026

General Seth said jointness and integration across the Services and across domains are critical for future warfighting.

He reaffirmed the Army's commitment to Aatmanirbharta, the drive for self-reliance, through indigenous capability development and partnerships with industry and academia. He also expressed confidence that the Mechanised Forces will keep their central role in future warfare, according to the Ministry of Defence.

Cavalry Officers' Association hosts two-day event with DGMF

The symposium is organised by the Cavalry Officers' Association with the Directorate General of Mechanised Forces (DGMF). It brings together serving officers, veterans, defence scientists, industry representatives and strategic thinkers. It closes on Thursday with a fireside discussion titled Indian Mechanised Forces 2035: Transforming for the Future Operational Environment.

Lieutenant General Ashok Mehta (Retd), President of the Cavalry Officers' Association, gave the welcome address.

Book on armour in 2040 unveiled at the session

A book by Lieutenant General AB Shivane (Retd), Armour 2040: Steel, Silicon & The Future Battlespace, was unveiled during the session. Lieutenant General Shivane is a former Director General Mechanised Forces.

DGMF keynote covers network-enabled and autonomous combat

The keynote came from Lieutenant General Prit Pal Singh, Director General Mechanised Forces, on Contemporary Mechanised Warfare in the Indian Context. He spoke on the shift away from platform-centric capability towards integrated, network-enabled and autonomous combat ecosystems.

Sessions at the Mechanised Forces Symposium 2026 cover artificial intelligence and autonomous kill chains, manned-unmanned teaming, integrated drone warfare, next-generation combat systems and multi-domain mechanised operations.

Ahilyanagar conference and Mech Tech Seminar 2.0 run alongside

The symposium follows the Biennial Mechanised Forces Conference 2026 at the Armoured Corps Centre and School in Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra, which General Seth attended on November 2. That meeting reviewed how armoured and mechanised infantry formations can be reshaped for future operations.

Western Command and the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers will hold Mech Tech Seminar 2.0 at Chandimandir on December 14 and 15, on upgrading combat platforms already in service with the Army. Its curtain raiser was held at the Manekshaw Centre on October 26, where Problem Definition Statements drawn from soldiers' field challenges were put out to industry, startups and academia.

On new equipment, the first batch of about 18 Zorawar light tanks is to be built at a slightly lower protection level, with the rest of the initial order to follow at a higher standard. The Army has agreed to the phased plan.

General Seth is the seventh Armoured Corps officer to lead the Army

General Seth was commissioned into the Armoured Corps in December 1986 and took over as the 31st Chief of the Army Staff on June 30. He is the seventh officer from the Armoured Corps to head the Indian Army, and has served as Colonel Capability Development for Mechanised Forces.

Last year's Cavalry Memorial Address was delivered by his predecessor, General Upendra Dwivedi, on Cross Domain Operations in the Indian Context.