CDS inaugurates two-day CBRN Conclave organised by DRDO in New Delhi

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is organising Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Conclave at Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi on February 26 & 27, 2026. The conference, with the theme ‘From policy to practice: Building CBRN resilient India’, was inaugurated by Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan. It brings together various experts and policymakers from the Armed Forces, CAPFs, and NDRF etc. with the aim to strengthen India’s response against CBRN threats.

In his address, the Chief of Defence Staff commended the work done by DRDO towards achieving self-reliance in CBRN defence technologies. Quoting Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, he stated that India will not be deterred by nuclear blackmail, emphasising that “CBRN needs to be considered as more of an environment than a threat, and we should brace ourselves to learn to live and operate in contaminated environments.” He underlined the need to stay ready with indigenous, state-of-the-art CBRN defence equipment for early warning systems, light weight Individual Protective Equipment & gadgets, well researched SOPs, and protocols to carry out coordinated operations in synergy with military and civilian establishment.

Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat voiced the DRDO’s commitment to build CBRN resilient India through its specialised labs and centres which dedicatedly work on developing advanced technology for defence against CBRN threats. He urged the participants of the conference to utilise this as an opportunity for peer learning and contribute to advance research endeavours to build a resilient India.

Guest of Honour of the event, DG Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin congratulated DRDO for timely organising this conclave and said that this will not only help in reflecting on the outstanding work done by its Scientists & Engineers but also bring in the users’ perspective for making a robust plan for futuristic technology development. She commended Vikiran Prehri program, a joint initiative of DRDO and AFMS for training the medical doctors of AFMS & CAPFs and said that the program has resulted in capacity building in the country for availability of trained manpower in medical management of radiological events.

DG (Soldier Support System) Dr UK Singh spelt out the broad contours of the conclave and modalities of engagement. He urged all the stakeholders to utilise this platform as an opportunity to come up with varied scenarios and the criticality in their operations and prepare a comprehensive plan, which will work as a guiding document for development of products/technologies with a speed of relevance to tackle any CBRN threat whatsoever.

The two-day event focuses on enhancing national resilience by incorporation of stakeholder’s perspectives in training and infusion of technologies. This will enhance the preparedness of security agencies in coordinated response for handling any CBRN event. The conclave underlined DRDO’s commitment in building a robust national network centric command and control framework utilising state-of-the-art sensors and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning tech for CBRN security & defence of the nation.