**Executive Summary**
The Indian Army's Central Command conducted its first Strategic Communication Conclave in Lucknow on March 07, 2026. The conclave aimed to examine strategic communication as an institutional capability within India's national security architecture and generate actionable insights. Key discussions focused on the evolving nature of warfare, the role of perception management, and institutionalizing strategic communication for future preparedness.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Conclave Overview:**
* The Indian Army's Central Command held its first-ever Strategic Communication Conclave in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, on March 07, 2026.
* Approximately 500 participants attended, including senior diplomats, government communication experts, media, senior military personnel, and private sector communication professionals.
* The conclave focused on deliberations and panel discussions regarding strategic communication within the national security architecture.
* **Evolving Nature of Warfare:**
* A fundamental shift in warfare now includes the information and cognitive domains.
* Perception management is crucial, as perception influences legitimacy, which in turn shapes influence and outcomes.
* The weaponization of narratives and threats from conflicts below the threshold of war were highlighted.
* **Requirements for Strategic Communication:**
* Strategic communication must move beyond being reactive, episodic, or personality-driven.
* It needs to become institutionalized, doctrine-backed, and capability-driven.
* **Conclave Sessions and Themes:**
* An expert policy-level session focused on "Institutionalising Strategic Communication as a Capability for Future Preparedness in the Emerging Information Space."
* A special interactive session, "Strategic Communication in Emerging Multi-Domain Operations: Strategies, Structures, Processes and Preparedness," integrated policy and operational perspectives.
* Panel discussions covered "Shaping the mind space: Perception Management in the Strategic Domain" and "Information Power and Strategic Communication," emphasizing the importance of perception management and information power.
* **Conclave Aim:**
* To examine strategic communication as an institutional capability within India's national security architecture.
* To generate actionable insights on doctrine, structures, processes, and preparedness in the emerging information space.
**Impact Analysis**
**Senior Diplomats and Communication Experts**
* **Impact:** Gained insights into the Indian Army's perspective on strategic communication and its integration into national security. Participated in discussions shaping future doctrines and strategies.
* **Action Required:** Apply insights gained from the conclave to their respective domains to enhance collaborative strategic communication efforts.
**Senior Military Personnel (Central Command and others)**
* **Impact:** Enhanced understanding of the evolving nature of warfare, the critical role of information and cognitive domains, and the necessity of institutionalizing strategic communication. Received actionable insights for doctrine and capability development.
* **Action Required:** Integrate the principles and actionable insights discussed into existing and future military strategies, doctrines, and operational planning.
**Communication Professionals (Government & Private Sector)**
* **Impact:** Benefited from understanding the national security implications of strategic communication, the importance of perception management, and the need for institutionalized approaches.
* **Action Required:** Leverage the understanding of national security requirements and perception management to refine their communication strategies and practices.
**Policy Makers and National Security Architects**
* **Impact:** Received a comprehensive overview of the current challenges and opportunities in strategic communication, with actionable insights for policy formulation and structural improvements.
* **Action Required:** Utilize the generated actionable insights to develop and refine policies, structures, and processes related to national security and strategic communication.
Key Entities Referenced
Indian Army's Central Command: The primary organizing body of the conclave, central to the event's scope and impact on national security architecture.
Strategic Communication: The core subject matter of the conclave, encompassing its discussions on perception management, information power, and its role in national security.
Lucknow: The location where the conclave was held, central to defining the geographical applicability of the discussions.
Ministry of Defence: The parent ministry overseeing the Indian Army and, by extension, the strategic communication initiatives discussed.
Ministry of Defence
INDIAN ARMY’S CENTRAL COMMAND
CONDUCTS ITS FIRST-EVER STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATION CONCLAVE IN LUCKNOW
Posted On: 07 MAR 2026 8:32PM by PIB Delhi
The Indian Army’s Central Command conducted its first-ever Strategic Communication Conclave in
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh on March 07, 2026. With close to 500 people in attendance, the conclave
involved deliberations and panel discussions on strategic communication in the national security
architecture. The panelists and speakers included senior diplomats, communication experts from the
government as well as the media. The attendees included senior military personnel from the Central
Command, and communication professionals from the Government & the private sector.
In his opening address, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Command Lt Gen Anindya
Sengupta highlighted the fundamental shift in the nature of warfare, which now includes information and
cognitive domains. Underscoring the crucial role of perception management, he stated that perception
shapes legitimacy, legitimacy shapes influence, and influence shapes outcomes. 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 an expert policy-level session on institutional and national security dimensions on
the theme ‘Institutionalising Strategic Communication as a Capability for Future Preparedness in the
Emerging Information Space’. India’s first female Permanent Representative to the United Nations
Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj (Retd), Ambassador Yashvardhan Sinha (Retd) and Lt Gen Raj Shukla
(Retd) addressed the session.
A special interactive session was organised on the theme ‘Strategic Communication in Emerging Multi-
Domain Operations: Strategies, Structures, Processes and Preparedness’ which integrated policy and
operational perspectives. Retired civil and military officials, including Ambassador Dilip Sinha, Dr
Shantanu Mukharji, Smt Veena Jain & Lt Gen DP Pandey, shared key insights during the session. 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 & information power.
The aim of the conclave was to examine strategic communication as an institutional capability within
India’s national security architecture and generate actionable insights on doctrine, structures, processes &
preparedness in the emerging information space.
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