Defence Sector of India
New technologies that the Indian military is utilising:
- According to recent statements made by the Chief of Army Staff, the Army has identified forty-five niche technologies with potential military uses.
- Similar to this, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is combining cyber, AI, and virtual reality under ‘UDAAN’ to meet its training, logistical, and operational demands.
- Under the auspices of UDAAN (Unit for Digitization, Automation, Artificial Intelligence and Application Networking), the Indian Air Force (IAF) opened its Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence (CoE for AI) in 2022.
- The Indian Navy has announced that it is advancing indigenization through project “Swavlamban,” its maiden naval innovation and indigenization seminar, and is also pushing ahead with emerging technologies, including an Integrated Unmanned Roadmap.
- In order to not be left out, the Ministry of Defence has demonstrated its initiatives in this field, such as the Defence AI Council and the Defence AI Project Agency, through the “AIDef” symposium and expo. The goal of both of these initiatives is to integrate AI into a number of linked agencies, including the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Defence PSUs (Public Sector Undertakings).
Much work remains:
- In order for these efforts to succeed, the military needs to understand that technology is not a panacea and shouldn’t be thought of as something that can be easily “plugged and play” or readily integrated into current procedures. Rather, it must be complemented by doctrinal and organisational adjustments as well as a readiness to share data with the civilian environment.
- Emerging technologies are just the newest thing, according to some. In fact, the majority of narratives about the conflict between Russia and Ukraine attest to the conventional supremacy of artillery, manoeuvre warfare, and infantry tactics.
- However, the challenge of figuring out how to adapt to change in light of evolving technologies is one that military have faced for all of recorded history. Working with civilians more closely than ever before is necessary for the military to effectively integrate developing technologies.
- Some refer to this approach as “collaborative defence,” in which the armed forces collaborate with scholars, scientists, technicians, businesspeople, and other relevant sectors in order to integrate such capabilities. India’s armed forces and defence agencies still have a ways to go in that regard.
- To be fair, the Indian military has always been interested in these cutting-edge technologies. The Indian Army introduced the country’s first drone platforms in the late 1990s, while the IAF and Navy added additional in the 2000s.
- Military commanders have long acknowledged the threat posed by cyberspace, citing problems like “information warfare.” India has launched communication satellites as part of its in-house space plan to enhance its military communications capabilities.
Way ahead: Modification of strategy:
- First, there are still issues with jointness, which is the term for the three services’ interoperability. The establishment of joint theatre commands (JTCs) is specifically mandated by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). The strategic community is eager for this to happen, but in the meanwhile, interoperability is crucial, particularly given the variety of developing technologies.
- Secondly, it is imperative to review current human resources procedures within the armed forces. The Indian military, for the most part, values generality over specialism. While this might function in traditional operations, more technical know-how is needed for specialised technology. For officers who have an intellectual bent towards this field, the services ought to offer longer tenure and establish career advancement routes.
- Third, in order to fully fulfil the promise of artificial intelligence, both the military and civilian defence agencies need to be more transparent about exchanging data. Historically, privacy issues have hindered the access of data. To address such worries, though, a framework with sufficient protections can be established that enables civilians to collaborate with the armed forces.
- In order to fully utilise future technologies, current organisations and methods must change. The Defence Ministry should lead the charge on these reforms. Rather than allowing generalist officers to spearhead its efforts, the Ministry ought to be more willing to bring in technocrats and competent staff from the wider industry and private sector when needed.
Way Forward:
- The Indian military is undergoing what may be its most significant overhaul to date because to the country’s ongoing defence reform initiatives. Gaining traction with the talent found outside of current defence organisations would be necessary to fulfil the potential of this idea.
