PODCAST | Ep. 149 & 150 Joint Warfare Reality: How Weapons Are Selected for Air–Land–Sea Integration

Joint warfare is not about individual platforms. It’s about who owns the mission, who controls the air, and who controls the kill chain.

As India moves toward integrated theatre commands, the logic of warfare is undergoing a fundamental shift. Weapons that perform exceptionally within a single service often struggle when exposed to the realities of Air-Land-Sea joint operations. The difference between success and failure is no longer defined by firepower alone, but by sensors, data links, interoperability, and decision-making timelines.

In this two-part episode, Sqn Ldr Shailesh Pol, a specialist in Air Defence, Counter-UAS, and aerial weapons, breaks down the realities of modern joint warfare from an operational perspective. This is not a doctrinal discussion. It is a candid examination of how weapons are actually evaluated, selected, integrated, and employed when multiple services fight as one.

Watch Part-I of the episode here:

Watch Part-II of the episode here:

The conversation explores:

• How weapon selection fundamentally changes when the Air Force supports an Army-led campaign or a Naval task force

• Whose requirement truly drives decisions in joint operations, the platform owner or the mission owner

• Why do some weapons that look ideal on paper become liabilities once joint integration begins

• The critical role of sensors, networks, and control of targeting in determining weapon effectiveness

• What is harder to align in real operations: doctrine, communications, or decision-making speed

• Who truly controls the air in an army-led battlefield

• How joint forces counter non-conventional and non-standard threats

• Which interoperable systems enable success across Army, Navy, and Air Force operations

• What policymakers and industry continue to underestimate about joint weapon integration

This is essential viewing for military professionals, defence industry leaders, policymakers, analysts, and anyone seeking to understand how future conflicts will be fought, not in theory, but in reality.