TALKS AND PODCASTS
Cyberspace Operations Episode I: Strategies and Structures of Major States
This is the first of a four-part webinar series on capability development for cyberspace operations by the Indian Armed Forces, held under the aegis of Current and Strategic Affairs Forum (CASA) and moderated by Lt Gen (Dr) R S Panwar. The overall objective of this series is to review cyberspace strategies and capabilities of major world powers, compare these with the status of these in India, and give suitable recommendations. While the full spectrum of cyber operations is very wide, the series is structured to focus primarily on offensive cyber operations and cyber influence operations.
This first episode aims to survey existing cyberspace strategies and organizations. Subsequent episodes will delve deeper into what India needs to do to improve its posture in cyberspace. A brief overview is first given about the increasingly potent and strategic effects being achieved through cyberspace by various players, the applicability of existing international law of war, specifically jus ad bellum, in cyberspace, and also touch upon global trends in cyberspace strategies and capabilities. Thereafter, the panelists provide greater insights into the strategies and organizations of major global powers on the one hand and of India on the other, and give out views and recommendations on how India might improve its posture in cyberspace.
Atmanirbharta in Defence Technologies: Armed Forces as Pivot
In this episode of Def Talks on YouTube, Aadi Achint discusses with Lt Gen (Dr) R S Panwar the all important issue of Atmanirbharta in defence technologies. The central concept proposed here is that the focus needs to shift from current efforts to improve the defence procurement process to optimising the defence R&D process, with the Armed Forces acting as the pivot as opposed to the DRDO. With the changing character of warfare as a backdrop, the conversation first prioritises the critical military technologies which need maximum attention on the modern battlespace. Thereafter, an overview is given of past initiatives taken by India to boost self-reliance in defence, with lack-lustre results. Major highlights of R&D practices followed by world leaders in defence technologies are then given out, with a view to drawing useful lessons. Thereafter, several suggestions are made for carrying out a transformative restructuring of the defence R&D ecosystem, with the Armed Forces at the helm of affairs. Finally, it is contended that if the proposed restructuring is to yield the desired results, the Armed Forces need to undergo an internal transformation aimed at ushering in a culture of specialisation.
The Looming AI RMA: A Wake-up Call for India
In this episode of Def Talks on YouTube, Aadi Achint talks to Lt Gen (Dr) R S Panwar on the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on 21st Century warfare. The conversation begins by elucidating how AI is expected to usher in the next revolution in military affairs (RMA), by infusing intelligence into every element of the Observe-Orient-Decide-Act (OODA) loop and taking the human element further away from the battlefield consequent to increased autonomy in weapons. It then lists out the various application areas of AI in warfare in the physical, cyber and cognitive realms. The unique characteristics of AI are dwelled upon next, such as self-learning capability, non-transparency, unpredictability and brittleness. The risks associated with the use of AI on the battlefield are then discussed against the backdrop of ongoing debates on legal and ethical issues associated with AI-enabled military systems at the UN as well as other global forums. The final part of the episode highlights the tremendous resources being allocated by major world militaries towards the development of AI-powered systems, gives out India’s current status in this critically important field, and concludes by outlining a way forward for India in order to keep pace with the changing nature of warfare and also arrest the widening gap in its military capabilities vis-à-vis China.
Unkraine Conflict: Fascinating Operations in Cyberspace
In this episode of Def Talks on YouTube, Aadi Achint analyses with Lt Gen (Dr) R S Panwar the degree of effectiveness of Russian cyberspace operations assessed so far in the ongoing Ukraine conflict. The conversation first sets up the backdrop by listing out the different facets of conflicts in cyberspace. Thereafter, in an attempt to understand why the world was expecting crippling attacks by Russia through cyberspace in this conflict, an overview is given about Russia’s cyber organisations and its offensive cyberspace capabilities demonstrated globally over the years. Next, noteworthy cyberattacks carried by Russia against Ukraine since 2013 are listed, before detailing the cyber effects known to have been achieved by Russia so far in the ongoing conflict. The stiff resistance put up by Ukraine, by setting up an ad hoc IT Army with support from across the globe, is then discussed. Narrative wars over the broadcast and social media platforms are also touched upon. The discussion wraps up with an attempt to analyze the reasons why Russian cyberattacks in this conflict do not appear to have been as effective as expected, with the caveat that the full picture would be clear only once the fog of cyberwar is lifted.
Information Operations in the Indian Context
In this episode of Def Talks on YouTube, Aadi Achint talks to Lt Gen (Dr) R S Panwar on how Information Operations (IO) may be used as a potent means by a nation for conducting Grey Zone Warfare (GZW) against its adversaries. The conversation highlights that for a nation to conduct GZW, it needs to leverage its Comprehensive National Power (CNP), which is quite well and concisely represented by the Diplomatic-Information-Military-Economic (DIME) paradigm. It discusses certain conceptual underpinnings and definitional nuances of IO, and how these relate to the Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) and the DIME paradigms. It then touches upon several key facets which need to be addressed for operationalizing the three primary components 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). The conversation concludes by dwelling upon the critical issue of defence of our national cyberspace, and indicating a way forward for our Indian Armed Forces for effectively countering the attacks in infospace which are constantly being launched against India by its adversaries.
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.