Indian Army goes into Star Wars mode

New technology, software being acquired to bring warzones and command centres closer

Indian Army goes into Star Wars mode

New technology, software being acquired to bring warzones and command centres closer

Wars are fought on the battlefield and not on the strategy table. This is what commanders would say. But the wars of the future may well be fought with equal intensity at both places the actual front and the distant command centre.

The Indian defence forces are preparing for the scenario where command centres will be issuing orders on the basis of real-time pictures of the war fronts. All the three forces (Army, Navy and Air Force) are gearing up to integrate their assets with high-end sensors, satellites and radars to transmit real-time pictures to the command centres.

High-tech shopping

While the Air Force has inducted Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), the Army and the Navy are also buying satellite terminals and high-end antenna to integrate their networks with dedicated satellites. "The Navy has dedicated almost half of its budget for purchasing equipment for integration of various assets. The wars of thefuture are going to be very different and the nation that can successfully integrate its various defence forces,will have an advantage," said a senior defence ministry official.

Upgrade the old

While large-scale equipment purchase is going on, the defence forces are also upgrading their existing systems. All the three forces are upgrading their communication network and have agreed to share their bandwidth with the department of telecommunications to secure their network against any intrusion. "After 26/11 there is a serious need to improve and add more safeguards to our communication system. Though the defence communication setup is largely impenetrable, improvement is imperative," said a senior Army officer, requesting anonymity.

Explaining the concept of Network Centric Warfare (NCW) he said: "Imagine a war zone where the infantry is linked with the armoured group as well as the artillery. Similarly, Army formations will be joined with the Air Force. The same will be replicated with the Air Force and Navy in coastal areas."

Meanwhile, senior officers manning the command centres will get real-time pictures of the war zones, enabling them to take accurate decisions based on the scenario. It sounds like star wars but it's possible."

Very sophisticated software are going to be an integral part of the overall system. "Cyber technology will lead the change. Only dedicated high-end software mixed with accurately designed hardware can make it possible. Software units across the world are preparing such gadgets and programmes and India is among one of the front runners," said a senior official from the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT).