DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION – Challenges of Digital Transformation

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Restructuring of the Organisation is in Progress

Warfare has evolved, through the ages in eras, which were defined by the predominance of attrition and manoeuvre till recent times, wherein information has emerged as a predominant factor in establishing supremacy on the adversary. The need for digitization and networking covers a wide range from operational logistics, information and digital support systems and also peacetime requirements like procurement for capability development, sustenance, supply chain management, recruitment and human resource development.

Given the size of the Indian Army and the nature of conflict, these needs are large in range of functionalities, distributed over vast geographical areas all across the country and involve a large number of hierarchical and lateral organizational linkages. Therefore, the need for digitization and networking assumed utmost importance to flatten the hierarchy, reduce the operational pause and enhance precision with increase in the speed of control. We in the Army are looking at a digital army with need-based automated support system, which is managed through robust and cyber safe networks. We are looking at access to enterprise wide credible data, comprehensive information support, and centralized data governance. We are working towards platforms with built-in and integration tools, high speed networks, army cloud services, with browser access. We are seeking all these through affordable and flexible developments, agile processes, that can go live fast and short development cycles.

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We have certain challenges. Just to highlight a few issues with integration and inter operability. Given the large number of organizations within the army and the need for integration in the three Services, there is a need to evolve a common approach for developing, adaptation and customisation of products and standards to accommodate legacy systems and the transition in support of jointness in the armed forces. There is also a need to evolve process of standarisation to achieve interoperability between desperate systems and applications.

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We also would like to have maximum indigenization of systems in order to be in a dominating position in the field of automation and digitization. We must develop these through indigenous operating systems and geographical information systems (GIS) for the defence forces, with standard protocols to be laid down for data exchange. In future, it is also absolute essential that we develop our own chip technology, lay down guidelines and rules for cryptography, cyber warfare and policies on information assurance to protect our networks and databases.

Human Resources Development  and Upscaling

Given the vast requirements of the human resource in the armed forces, which have to operate in various geographical locations, have their own HR requirements for progression through their career, there is also a need to develop a core set of people, who can support the ingestion of technology in terms of digitization and networks. We are looking at the constraints of physical space in platforms, in military platforms, combat systems and bandwidth on the battlefield. Therefore, for the mobility of the systems there is a requirement of have light and miniaturised rugged software. Data management in itself is a challenge given the size and scope of the requirement in the armed forces. This needs to be automated and managed in a meticulous manner. It also requires to ensure authenticity and integrity of data, along with the defined data ownership. For the multiple users and owners, certain applications already developed and launched, certain applications being developed, there is a requirement of clear cut foundation for single source of truth of data in the management of future operational/management information systems.

We are experiencing lot of changes  in the security environment. Cyber environment is ever changing. With more of our systems in the digital domain, loss of sensitive military information will always be a concern, as also the disruption in the conduct of operations. Therefore, there is a need to have a robust cyber security method and an organization to support these changes. We have heard about the emerging technologies, particularly the civilian technologies, which have dual use, which need to be adapted , for use in the Indian Army and the Armed Forces. We have artificial intelligence (AI) and Big Data available in the civil domain. However, we need to adopt this to the systems and the applications that we develop for the Armed Forces.  

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We need an agile procurement process, in that, Chapter 8 in the new DAP (Defence Acquisition Procedure) 2020 is a welcome step. We are looking for similar changes in the DPM (Defence Procurement Manual) so that we are able to engage and have hand-holding arrangements with civil domain, the experts, who are there to serve the nation and participate in the development of applications for the Army. However, we need to overcome certain wrinkles in the procedural process. We also need to tap the abundant civil IT qualified HR. The information technology human resource potential of our country is world renowned. While there are many technical professionals who are eagerly willing to serve the nation and participate in the Armed Forces, we need to facilitate this by certain processes and procedures, which can enable them to participate in our progress. We also need to involve the academia and start-ups in our processes. A lot of work has been done but it is still a work in progress. The needs of a governmental  procurement system have to be taken care of and suitably tweaked to make sure that we are able to derive maximum benefit from it.

Restructuring for Digital Transformation

Coming to certain structures and the systems in the Armed Forces to ingest technology. We are undertaking restructuring of our entire organization to support digital transformation. Some have been initiated and implemented. At the tri-Services level , a major restructuring is in progress. The first tri-Service organization to enable integration and interoperability was the HQ Integrated Defence Staff, which is is responsible for formulating long term integrated plan and the  five-year defence plan based on the anticipated threat perceptions and the force structures, modernization, development of equipment and funds. Creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff in January 2020 has given a major impetus to streamlining joint cyber and ICT warfare strategies. The recently constituted integrated functional commands under the Integrated Defence Staff include the Defence Cyber Agency, Defence Space Agency and the Special Operations Division to exploit military capability in cyber space,  space and special operations. Within the Army, the Army HQ is well structured to have a convergence between Signals, which look  after the maximum information and communication needs of the Indian Army and the DG Information Systems, who is responsible for planning as well as executing the projects for bringing in applications and softwares into the Indian Army. Both of these converge under the appointment that I hold that is of the Deputy Chief of Army Staff Integrated Systems, Information Systems and Coordination.

Another major change that has taken place with the reorganization at the Army HQ is the bringing together of the revenue procurements and the capital procurements under the Deputy Chief Army Staff of Capability Development and Sustenance. This will further streamline any gaps that were there between revenue and the capital procurements.

The Army Cyber Group has been expanded to safeguard the digitization process and under the Defence Cyber Agency the efforts of the three cyber groups are being integrated and streamlined in a focused manner. The Army Design Bureau has also been created to synergize the efforts with the academia and the start-ups. The Indian Army and other Services have been seized of these issues and are working to streamline these structures and systems for exploiting technologies in the Army. As far as the systems are concerned we have at the tri-Service level, the Defence Communication Network, a nationwide strategic network, which has already been operationalised. The NFS project for the Indian Army, with a backbone of optical fibre across the country and redundancy built-in with other systems including the satellite system, is going to be operationalised very soon. With this we have the media connectivity to be able to run any kind of digitization of software applications nation-wide, Army-wide as well as Services-wide.

At the Indian Army level, we also have pan-Indian Army operational and management application like MISO 2.0, which has been launched. We have the AICCS, which is called Project Shakti, which is with the artillery and we have many other projects which have run up distance and are now been either modified or are being tuned with the technologies that are available and the new emergent technologies. Projects like the combat information decision support system (CIDSS) have given us very valuable experience, which we will now apply to other projects that we undertake hereafter. Our methodology for development of information system applications has also undergone a radical change, with thrust towards quick induction of applications keeping pace with hardware and operating systems. Our data governance policy has been formulated and is going to be published next month and this will facilitate all kinds of development of information systems and applications across various organizations, within the Army, ensuring they are able to speak to each other at any given point of time in future. Indian Army has also many successful projects, which have been digitized and which are already functional like the AWAN, SHAKTI, MISA and CICP, etc.

As we go forward, we are looking at a pan-Army information system to integrate all operational and management information systems. In the   we are working at a API-based integration of current and under-development applications to ensure whatever we have is integrated at the earliest.  We could also look at and watch out for is methods for our collaborative approach with organizations like the MEITY (Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology), which has shown us positive results in couple of engagements. Changes in revenue procurement process for IT systems, on the lines of DAP 2020, integrating academia and start-ups with incentives will lead to a better understanding being established to enhance ingestion of the digitization and networking in the Indian Army and the Armed Forces.

Based on the Theme Address delivered at Digitisation& Networking in the Armed Forces 2020 Webinar, 21 Nov 2020