RECENT POSTS
India’s Space Programme: Organisations and Warfighting Potential
This is the second and concluding part of a talk on India’s Space Programme which was given virtually on 25 May 2021 at the United Services Institution of India to its faculty, as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students taking part in a summer internship programme at the Institution. The first part of the talk covered satellite applications, launch vehicles, extra-terrestrial exploration and future missions. This part gives an overview of the organisations which are in place to steer the space programme, discusses the important aspect of militarisation of space including capabilities of global space powers, briefly reviews India’s space security policy and military space assets and capabilities, and also touches upon the commercialisation of the space sector. The talk is of approximately 30 minutes duration (script is included).
India’s Space Programme: Spacecraft, Launchers and Exploration
This talk gives a comprehensive insight into India’s space programme, covering satellite applications, launch vehicles, extra-terrestrial exploration, organisations, commercialisation of the space sector and the militarisation of space. The talk was given virtually at the United Services Institution of India to the USI faculty, and undergraduate and postgraduate students taking part in a summer internship programme. It is presented in two parts: this first covers spacecraft, launchers, and exploration aspects while Part II focuses on organisations and the important aspect of the militarisation of space. Each part is of approximately 30 mins duration.
Warfighting in Cyberspace: Concepts, Global Trends and the Indian Perspective
This keynote address was given at the virtual ‘National Summit on Cyber Security 2021’ conducted by Institute of Technology and Science, Ghaziabad, India. The audience comprised of faculty, students and industry participants from India and abroad. The talk covers a wide range of issues as follows: importance of cyberspace as a warfighting domain; modelling of national cyberspace; strategic cyber threats and targets; cyber defence strategies; existing cyberspace governance set-up and current strategy for protection of national cyberspace in India; global practices in national cyberspace protection covering US, UK, China and Russia; and finally, recommended transformative restructuring for cyberspace governance in India.
Network Centric Warfare: An Enduring Theory of Warfighting (Part III) – Implementation in China and Russia
This is the final piece of a three-part article on Network Centric Warfare (NCW). The intellectual foundation of NCW was laid by US Department of Defence in the 1990s. However, its efficacy as a theory of war was considerably undermined when, after initial conventional successes in Iraq and Afghanistan, the limitations of net-centricity as a predominant battle-winning factor got exposed during urban combat and counter-insurgency operations. Nevertheless, the conceptual foundations of the theory have proved to be of an enduring nature, which is evidenced in the manner it continues to influence evolving military doctrine as well as design of military systems in all the major militaries. The first two parts reviewed the status of development of NCW capabilities in the US, UK, Australia, and NATO. This part concludes the article by carrying out a similar review for China and Russia, followed by concluding remarks.
Network Centric Warfare: An Enduring Theory of Warfighting (Part II) – Implementation in the UK, Australia and NATO
This is the second piece of a three-part article on Network Centric Warfare (NCW) which reviews the status of development of NCW capabilities in major world armies, covering the US, UK, Australia, NATO, China, and Russia. NCW as a theory of warfighting in the Information Age was first evolved in the US and operationally tested during the Iraq wars. A series of four previous articles have dealt with the basic tenets and governing principles of NCW, as well as several concepts which are at the heart of this theory, including self-synchronization, power to the edge, agility, and effects-based operations. The first part of this work covered the status of implementation of NCW in the US, while here we cover similar ground with respect to the UK, Australia and the NATO.
Network Centric Warfare: An Enduring Theory of Warfighting (Part I) – Implementation in the United States
The intellectual foundation of Network Centric Warfare (NCW) as a theory of warfighting was laid by US Department of Defence in the 1990s. In addition to its basic tenets and governing principles, the theory enunciated several concepts including self-synchronization, power to the edge, agility, and effects-based operations. The power of NCW was demonstrated dramatically during the Iraq wars, which spurred other major militaries to take note and develop similar concepts in accordance with their own military thought. The efficacy of NCW as a theory of war was considerably undermined when, after initial conventional successes in Iraq and Afghanistan, the limitations of net-centricity as a predominant battle-winning factor got exposed during urban combat and counter-insurgency operations. Nonetheless, the basic tenets of NCW continue to influence evolving military doctrine as well as design of military systems not only in the US but in other military powers as well. This three-part series reviews the status of development of NCW capabilities in the US, UK, Australia, NATO, China, and Russia, beginning with the US in this first part.
Infospace Wars: Towards an Indian Information Operations Command (Part II)
This work endeavours to analyse the changing nature of warfare in the Information Age, wherein inter-state conflicts are increasingly shifting from the physical (kinetic) to the virtual (information and cognitive) domains, in the process blurring the boundaries between peace and war. It takes note of the enhanced threat posed by China in Infospace and Space domains consequent to the creation of the PLA SSF. Against this backdrop, this two-part series explores India’s response options for developing requisite capability to engage effectively in Infospace conflicts. The previous part discussed the defining characteristics of IO and analyzed the organizational models for information forces adopted by China and the US. This concluding part first reviews existing IO structures in the Indian Armed Forces and then proposes a ‘bricks and clay’ phased approach for raising an Indian Tri-Service IO Command, assessed as being the model best suited for India.
Infospace Wars: Towards an Indian Information Operations Command (Part I)
The arena of warfighting in the 21st Century is gradually shifting from the physical to the information and cognitive realms. Realizing this, China has displayed commendable agility by integrating strategic space, cyber, electronic and psychological warfare capabilities under the potent PLA Strategic Support Force (SSF); the US has raised its Cyber and Space Commands over the last decade and has significant psychological operations resources at its disposal; and Russia has demonstrated its capabilities for waging war in Infospace by conducting dramatic operations in Estonia, Georgia and Ukraine. Against this backdrop, it is imperative for India to build non-kinetic warfare capabilities in conformance with our geopolitical aspirations. This two-part series outlines a roadmap for creating an Indian IO Command. In this first part, it discusses the defining characteristics of IO and analyses the organizational models for information forces adopted by China and the US with the aim of determining IO structures best suited for India.
India’s Future War: How to Fight It and What to Expect
China’s current military thinking and modernization has been greatly influenced by their study of 21st century wars including both the Iraq Wars and the one in Kosovo as also the conflict in Libya. Crucial role played by precision weapons and air power have been imbibed by PLA. In addition, the internet emerging as an all-pervasive means of passing information is a lucrative target for cyber-attack. Large scale cyber-attacks in Russo-Georgian War has not gone unnoticed by Chinese strategists. Accordingly, China has raised a number of cyber and electronic warfare brigades/ regiments. The Chinese way of fighting conventional war can be termed ‘e-Conventional Warfare’, similar to e-governance.
Cyber Influence Operations: A Battle of Wits and Bits – A Call to Action for the Indian Armed Forces (Part III)
This series on Cyber Influence Operations (CIO) commenced with an analysis of concepts and terminologies and went on to discuss various tools, techniques and stratagems which are available for engaging in this new form of warfare in the cognitive domain. Thereafter, it reviewed the strategies being adopted by Russia, USA and China to operationalize CIO. This culminating three-part article in the series charts out a way forward for the Indian Armed Forces for developing IO/ CIO capabilities. The first two parts covered doctrine and organisational aspects respectively. This last part makes several recommendations in the area of human resource development and cadre management, taking note of the highly specialist nature of CIO disciplines.