RECENT POSTS
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.
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.
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.