EXECUTIVE READS
Grey Zone Operations in the Infospace Dimension: Imperatives for India
This is the script of an address given on the topic “Information Operations in the Indian Context” given at the Military College of Telecommunications Engineering (MCTE), Mhow, India on 01 Oct 2021. The address was part of a seminar on “Electromagnetic Spectrum and National Security” held on the occasion of MCTE’s Platinum Jubilee Raising Day. The talk commences by discussing certain conceptual underpinnings and definitional nuances of Information Operations (IO), and how these relate to the Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) and the Diplomatic-Information-Military-Economic (DIME) paradigms. It then highlights several key facets which need to be addressed for operationalizing the three primary functions of IO, namely, electronic warfare (EW), cyber and psychological/ cognitive operations. It also briefly discusses the concepts of Cyber Electro-Magnetic Activities (CEMA) and Cyber Influence Operations (CIO). Finally, the talk concludes by stressing the importance of setting up an Indian Tri-Service IO Command using a ‘bricks and clay’ approach, as a suitable counter to the recently raised Chinese PLA Strategic Support Force.
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.