Contemporary warfare is being redefined by the convergence of AI, space systems, cyber capabilities, autonomous platforms, and emerging technologies into a unified operational continuum. Traditional frameworks centred on asymmetry, domain separation, and sequential escalation are therefore becoming insufficient to unpack the dynamics of modern conflict.

In this IPCS Issue Brief, Lt Col S Anirudha Rao and Aran Hooda examine the convergence across five interrelated domains: AI, space power, unmanned systems, cyber and cognitive warfare, and emerging technologies including quantum and hypersonic systems. Drawing on contemporary conflicts—from Ukraine and Gaza to the Red Sea and South Asia—it demonstrates how converged technologies compress decision cycles, expand the battlespace into civilian infrastructure and public perception, and blur the boundaries between competition and conflict.