New Delhi: A research paper by two retired Indian Army officers has received international recognition after being cited at least 10 times in a NATO-supported publication on hybrid warfare.
Lieutenant General DS Hooda (Retd) and Lieutenant Colonel Pavithran Rajan (Retd) co-authored Beyond the Kinetic: Deconstructing Warfare in the Socio-Technical-Cognitive Battlespace, published by the Council for Strategic and Defense Research in January 2026.
The paper examines how modern conflicts increasingly extend beyond conventional battlefields into the socio-technical and cognitive domains. It highlights the role of digital platforms, algorithms and information flows in influencing public opinion and strategic decision-making.
Their work was cited extensively in Hybrid Warfare: Threats to Power Grid Infrastructure, published by the Polish Association for National Security and partly funded through NATO’s Science for Peace and Stability Programme.
The publication references the Indian veterans’ research in its chapter on AI and cognitive warfare, including discussions on the OODA decision-making cycle, disinformation and technological resilience during conflicts.
Former Army chief General VK Singh described the recognition as a “landmark achievement for Indian strategic thought”, particularly in hybrid, cognitive and technological warfare.
The development underscores the growing international relevance of Indian strategic research on emerging forms of warfare.