The speakers at a seminar Friday stressed that the indigenisation and technological sovereignty would be key to the development and evolution of the country’s defence, amid rapidly emerging technologies. This was the crux of seminar — ‘Shifting Battlefields: Impact of Emerging Technologies on the Character of Warfare in South Asia’ which was hosted by Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies (CASS). It was attended by experts from the defence and academic sectors to discuss the transformative role of emerging technologies in modern warfare, with a particular focus on South Asia, a news release said. The seminar underscored the urgent need for the country to embrace indigenisation and support homegrown technologies for enhanced national security and defence autonomy. As emerging technologies continue to reshape the landscape of modern warfare, strategic, policy-oriented approaches are essential for the country to deal with the challenges and opportunities, presented by this new era of conflict. Air Marshal Farooq Habib (Retd), Senior Director at CASS, opened the seminar by stressing the complexity and unpredictability of technological evolution in military contexts. He emphasised the necessity for Pakistan’s defence sector to adapt and evolve in response to these advancements to maintain strategic and tactical superiority. Lieutenant General Aamer Riaz (Retd), former President of the National Defense University, in his Keynote Address, underscored the profound influence of technological advancements on the character of warfare. He predicted a technological upheaval, highlighting the need for strategic adaptation to innovations in space, cyber, AI, and more. He called for a revision of traditional warfare strategies to include emerging technologies that were redefining conflict dynamics. Fawad Zahir, a defence and strategic studies expert, focused on the importance of air-power, enhanced by big data analysis, quantum computing, and Machine Learning. He urged for robust civilian-military collaboration to harness technological advancements for defence purposes. Fawad also strongly advocated strategic investment in technologies that aligned with Pakistan’s core defence requirements, given the country’s budgetary constraints.