THE ‘EVERYWHERE BATTLEFIELD’: IMPLICATIONS FOR AIR WARFARE IN THE ERA OF MULTI-DOMAIN OPERATIONS AND PAKISTAN’S AERIAL DEFENCE POSTURE

Abstract

The evolving character of war due to technological advancement and integration of the fields has led to the notion of the everywhere battlefield. This paper is a review of how Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) are transforming the way strategic and operational thinking is being addressed by bringing together land, air, naval, cyber, and space capabilities into a unified framework. The main aim of the study is to examine the consequences of MDO to Pakistan, and more specifically Pakistan Air Force leading role in the development of network-centric and cross-domain capabilities. The paper uses the Network-Centric Warfare theory to place the trajectory of Pakistan in the context of global trends, such as the US doctrine of Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2), the Chinese doctrine of Integrated Joint Operations, and lessons of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative approach, combining semi-structured expert interviews with systematic analysis of secondary sources. The study’s findings reveal that the effective integration of MDOs during May 2025 war with India provided Pakistan with a concrete operational advantage, highlighting their role in strengthening credible deterrence. Furthermore, the paper highlights challenges such as hybrid threats, and resource limitations, and wraps up with policy suggestions on how Pakistan can sustain current momentum on tri-service synergy, technological innovation, and resilience in operations in the era of multi-domain warfare.