Yes, you read that right. At Defcon 2026, he compared battlefield tech to digital payments; arguing that seamless data flow, real-time interoperability, and scalable software ecosystems are now the real weapons. Why does this matter for aspirants? Because the defence sector is opening up like never before. Startups, students, and universities will now be key players. If you’re into tech, AI, or systems engineering; this is your calling. Forget the old idea of defence jobs being limited to uniforms and drills. The next battlefield is digital. And the CDS is saying: India needs coders, data scientists, and network architects as much as it needs soldiers. The question isn’t just ‘want to join the armed forces?’; it’s ‘want to build the future of national defence?’