A two-day international conference on “Emerging Technologies and the Future Warfare,” hosted by Maritime Centre of Excellence (MCE), culminated in Karachi. Aim of the conference was to bring together maritime experts, academia and defence industry representatives on one platform to discuss changing geostrategic trends and impact of technology on modern warfare. Admiral Naveed Ashraf, NI, NI (M), T Bt, Chief of the Naval Staff, graced the occasion as Chief Guest.
While addressing the conference, Chief Guest highlighted the importance of close collaboration between industry, end-users and academia to drive innovation, adaptability and operational relevance. He said that such collaboration would promote indigenization and self-reliance, helping build a cost-effective and globally competitive defence ecosystem for Pakistan with export potential. He further underlined the Indian Ocean as a key region where the future of warfare is being written due to its vast contribution in global trade flow and any disruption can significantly impact global supply chains, energy prices and economies connected to it.
The conference brought attention to blurring lines between civil and military uses of advanced technologies, creating both opportunities and challenges for Pakistan’s defence ecosystem. It also emphasized on how rapid technological innovation is transforming warfare by redefining operational concepts, force structures and their outcomes.
The event was attended by senior military leadership, policymakers, diplomats, academia, industry experts and students from various universities. It concluded with a reaffirmation of the need for sustained intellectual synergy to navigate technology-driven transformations to harness future trends in warfare.