Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday warned of threats caused by increasing ‘weaponisation’ of critical trade routes, vital sea lanes and vulnerable choke points at sea.Speaking during the penultimate day of the two-week long multinational air exercise ‘Tarang Shakti’ here, he cited how unmanned systems and drones have altered the speed, scale and character of military operations.Exercise Tarang Shakti saw participation of 41 countries. The US, France, Germany, Australia and the UAE, among others participated by sending in their planes as well as personnel. The other countries sent in their observors.The minister said modern warfare was complex with technological changes and addition of new elements. “There is a considerable scope for cooperation in research, co-development, co-production, maintenance, training and innovation,” he said.India, he said, was ready to explore these possibilities with countries that share our commitment to a stable, secure and peaceful international environment. “We are aware that no nation can afford to operate in isolation,” the minister said, explaining that India’s goal of self-reliance or ‘aatma nirbharta’ was not to isolate itself from the world but to cooperate with others.He said, “Tarang Shakti translates capability, technology, interoperability and trust into operational experience. Collective learning is no longer simply desirable, it is essential.”Warfare was no longer confined to land, sea, and air, he said, adding that it now spans space, cyber, electromagnetic spectrum and the information domain.“Surprise and deep uncertainty have become the new normal. Accompanied with these is the rising influence of the non-state actors,” he added.Artificial intelligence is reshaping decision support while long-range precision weapons have radically expanded the battle space.“Future military power will be defined less by the number of platforms, it will be determined by the speed of sensing, understanding, deciding and acting on those inputs. Speed, precision, information, and integration are now the true defining attributes,” he added.The minister said he was looking ahead at the flagship advanced medium combat aircraft, (AMCA) programme which would pave the way for India to master fifth-generation stealth fighter technology. “Our push now extends to advanced aero-engine development and co-production, aiming to master the most complex pillar of aviation technology,” Rajnath said.