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		<title>Leveraging Sovereign Dual-Use Technologies</title>
		<link>https://imrmedia.in/leveraging-sovereign-dual-use-technologies/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Col Amit Baveja]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 09:05:21 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Defence Industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Emerging Technologies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Artificial Intelligence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[autonomous systems]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cloud computing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Data Analytics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[defence ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Digital Twins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Disruptive Technologies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dual-Use Technologies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Embedded Systems]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[prototyping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[robotics]]></category>
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					<description><![CDATA[<p>Building a Resilient Defence Ecosystem Emerging Paradigm of Warfare from Platforms to Algorithms For centuries now, technology has shaped the evolution of warfare. The difference today is the pace and scale at which this transformation is unfolding. Until about three decades ago, warfare was largely platform-centric. Military strength was measured by the ability to field [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://imrmedia.in/leveraging-sovereign-dual-use-technologies/">Leveraging Sovereign Dual-Use Technologies</a> appeared first on <a href="https://imrmedia.in">IMR</a>.</p>
]]></description>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Building a Resilient Defence Ecosystem</strong></h2>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"></h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Emerging Paradigm of Warfare from Platforms to Algorithms</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For centuries now, technology has shaped the evolution of warfare. The difference today is the pace and scale at which this transformation is unfolding. Until about three decades ago, warfare was largely platform-centric. Military strength was measured by the ability to field and employ aircraft, tanks, artillery, and naval assets at scale, with industrial capacity and logistics being key determinants of combat outcomes.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A major inflection point came during the Gulf War, which marked the shift towards &#8216;Precision-Centric Warfare&#8217;. Precision-guided munitions, satellite navigation, and networked sensors demonstrated that accuracy and information could deliver effects disproportionate to force size, moving away from platform-centricity. In the years that followed, militaries recalibrated doctrines towards integrating sensors, shooters, and command systems to achieve combat advantage.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Today, we are witnessing a more fundamental and disruptive transformation as warfare is increasingly becoming algorithm-driven and multi-domain, where operations across land, air, sea, space, cyber, and the electromagnetic spectrum are synchronised in near-real-time, supplemented by the use of algorithms and artificial intelligence systems across the entire Observe-Orient-Decide-Act (OODA) loop. Decision cycles are compressing, and the ability to process and act on data is emerging as a decisive factor in operational success.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This shift has been clearly visible in ongoing conflicts from Ukraine to the West Asian theatre, and closer to home through lessons from Operation Sindoor. The direction is clear. Advantage is steadily migrating from platforms to technology stacks that connect, enable, and power them.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>From Military-Led to Civilian-Driven Innovation</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Parallel to this transformation in warfare, the last few decades have witnessed an equally significant shift in the technology landscape. The centre of gravity of innovation has moved from military-led development to civilian-driven ecosystems.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For much of the twentieth century, when regular conflicts and <em>&#8216;war economies&#8217;</em> were the order of the day, defence establishments defined the technological frontier. Breakthroughs such as the internet, GPS, and advanced communication systems originated within military programmes before finding widespread civilian application. Defence set the pace and direction of innovation, with the civilian industry following.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">That equation has now largely reversed. Today, the most disruptive technologies, such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, semiconductors, robotics, autonomous systems, and data analytics, are driven by the civilian sector. Innovation cycles are faster, technology proliferation is quicker, capital is more accessible, and competition accelerates development in ways traditional defence structures find difficult to match. The transition of major economies from war economies to consumer-driven economies has further accentuated this phenomenon.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For militaries, this creates both opportunity and complexity. Access to advanced technologies has expanded significantly, but dependence on globally distributed ecosystems raises concerns around control, reliability, and long-term resilience. The challenge is not just adoption, but the ability to adapt and integrate these technologies within secure and dependable frameworks.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="600" height="400" src="https://imrmedia.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Heavy-vehicles-in-civil-use-have-many-commonalities-with-aroured-vehicles.jpg" alt="Heavy vehicles in civil use have many commonalities with aroured vehicles" class="wp-image-18755" srcset="https://imrmedia.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Heavy-vehicles-in-civil-use-have-many-commonalities-with-aroured-vehicles.jpg 600w, https://imrmedia.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Heavy-vehicles-in-civil-use-have-many-commonalities-with-aroured-vehicles-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Heavy vehicles in civil use have many commonalities with aroured vehicles</figcaption></figure>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>The Strategic Imperative of Sovereign Technology</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In an era of shifting alliances, contested supply chains, and increasing ambiguity in the global order, technology has moved to the centre of strategic autonomy. Access can no longer be taken for granted, and dependencies can quickly translate into strategic constraints.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The issue is not simply about acquiring advanced technologies, but about the degree of control exercised over them across the complete lifecycle of equipment. Through initiatives like Aadhaar and UPI in the civilian domain, India has successfully demonstrated that sovereign and scalable architectures can deliver reliable product quality, resilience, and scale. The lesson for defence lies in recognising the importance of architecture and control.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sovereignty does not imply isolation. It requires clarity on what must be controlled and where collaboration is viable. In modern defence systems, critical layers often lie beneath the surface. Embedded electronics, software, data architectures, and algorithms determine how systems perform and evolve. Without sufficient depth in these areas, even indigenously produced platforms may remain constrained, with a limited ability to exploit them fully over their entire lifecycles. Building capability in these critical layers will be essential to ensure operational resilience and long-term relevance.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Leveraging Dual-Use Technologies: Connecting the Ecosystem</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">India is at a unique inflection point. Enabling policy frameworks, a maturing entrepreneurial ecosystem, and an evolving financial landscape have together given rise to a new generation of technology-led enterprises. Earlier, access to finance was largely linked to confirmed orders from government or industry. Today, investors are increasingly backing companies with strong technology, intellectual property, and scalability, accelerating the growth of deep-tech enterprises. Today, an increasing number of indigenous, technology-driven firms operate at the cutting edge of technology and at the intersection of civilian and strategic domains.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">These firms are investing in research and building the maturity required to bring agility, innovation, and scalability into areas that were traditionally constrained by slower cycles.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In doing so, they also help to overcome the systemic challenges that various pillars of the Indian defence ecosystem—i.e., the Armed Forces, DRDO, DPSUs, private industry (including start-ups), and academia—face because of the very nature of their structure. Many tech firms are structured in a more agile and effective manner, with the ability to innovate faster, integrate more effectively, and scale solutions with greater efficiency.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">These companies can support the Armed Forces in ideation, rapid prototyping, and faster capability absorption. They can also help research organisations, including DRDO, in shortening their development cycles and developing products at the cutting edge of technology. They can help the DPSUs and private industry to develop niche solutions faster with greater efficiency, better quality, higher reliability, and scalability. Many of these companies are working closely with academia, helping align research more closely with real-world problems and challenges. Thus, the real value of dual-use technologies lies in how they connect these elements and emerge as a key enabler.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Technologies Shaping the Next Phase of Capability</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The shift towards algorithm-centric and multi-domain operations is being enabled by a set of technologies that cut across platforms and stakeholders. Their impact lies in how they strengthen each part of the ecosystem and how effectively they are integrated.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Digital Twins</strong> are an exciting technology and are emerging as a link between design and operations. For the Armed Forces, they can help in planning infrastructure and facilities by testing layouts and workflows before execution. They can also enable a more objective evaluation of systems during trials by allowing equipment to be tested across operational limits objectively, thereby strengthening and shortening the procurement procedures. For in-service platforms, Digital Twins can support continuous performance validation and improve platform availability through predictive maintenance and product validation.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Digital twins can also help the DRDO, academia, and industry in reducing development time of new prototypes as well as in multiple associated areas like prototype validation, quality control, and testing. They can also improve lifecycle management activities, including MRO. They can also help overcome the challenges associated with spiral development of products and solutions, an aspect that the Indian defence ecosystem has been struggling with for a very long time now.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Advanced Simulation Systems</strong> are yet another technology area with tremendous dual-use capabilities. Traditionally associated with only training, these systems actually go way beyond training and can help in doctrine validation, evolution of operational plans, as well as process and product development. Even within the domain of training, which has largely been limited to individual training in isolation, the potential of simulation can be transformative.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Through <strong>Live, Virtual, and Constructive integration</strong>, these systems are changing how training is envisioned, planned, and executed. They can enable integrated training at the crew, unit, formation, and theatre levels across services. Training environments that have traditionally been siloed can now function as a unified continuum. Also, wargaming can be made way more immersive, realistic, and reflective of operational conditions. For DRDO and academia, simulation systems can support experimentation, process improvements, as well as product development.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Electronics and Embedded Systems</strong> form the foundation of modern capability. The ability to curate customized electronics designs using indigenous chips and circuits, sensors, and firmware, with customised communication protocols and the ability to integrate with third-party products, is a phenomenal enabler.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This can help us reduce external dependence and create a resilient architecture for the development of indigenous solutions.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For the Armed Forces, control over sensors, communication systems, and electronic warfare capabilities is critical to operational effectiveness. In contested environments, this layer often determines whether systems function as intended. Operating at the heart of critical systems, these technologies energize the products effectively. They also support DRDO, academia, and industry in reducing dependency and strengthening the ability to create specialised subsystems and systems, thereby improving resilience, as well as capabilities, across the product lifecycle.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning</strong> support decision-making across all levels. Shaping transformation across industries and warfare, these systems enable faster data collection, quicker analysis, improved situational awareness, and support for functions such as surveillance, command and control, and logistics. Their role continues to evolve from augmenting human decision-making towards greater levels of autonomy.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Needless to say, homegrown AI and ML platforms can transform our architectures and make them way more capable. For DRDO and academia, AI and ML open avenues for research in data-driven models and predictive systems. For industry, they enable scalable and software-driven solutions across civilian and defence domains, strengthening the dual-use ecosystem.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Autonomous Systems and Robotics</strong> are translating intelligence into action. They enable operations in high-risk environments and improve reach and persistence across land, sea, air, and emerging domains. Their application is expanding beyond support roles into core operational functions. Traditionally used for replacing tasks that were considered to be dull, dirty, and dangerous, autonomous and unmanned systems are finding greater resonance across combat and combat support.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For DRDO, academia, and industry applications, they create unprecedented opportunities in autonomy, control systems, and human-machine integration. They also enable the development of next-generation systems that combine efficiency, safety, and operational effectiveness.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Data Platforms</strong> are emerging as the central integrative layer across modern defence systems. For the Armed Forces, they enable the creation of a unified operational and logistics picture by bringing together inputs from multiple sensors, platforms, and domains. This significantly enhances situational awareness, shortens decision cycles, and enables coordinated action across formations and services.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For DRDO and academia, data platforms enable data-driven development, modelling, and validation of systems, allowing for a more objective assessment and faster iteration. For industry, they support system integration, analytics, and the development of scalable digital architectures that can operate across both civilian and defence environments. Their effectiveness, however, depends on interoperability, standardisation, and robust security frameworks, making them critical to enabling true network-centric and multi-domain operations.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Space and Geospatial Technologies</strong> extend capability across all pillars of the defence ecosystem. For the Armed Forces, they enhance communication, navigation, surveillance, and command and control, while significantly improving operational and logistical planning. Their role is increasingly central in both strategic and tactical operations.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For DRDO and academia, these technologies enable advanced modelling, geospatial analytics, and the integration of satellite-based data into defence systems. For industry, they open up opportunities in downstream applications, geospatial services, and the integration of space-based capabilities with terrestrial systems. Their real value lies in seamless integration with ground-level systems, enabling more informed and precise decision-making.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Taken together, these technologies matter less as standalone capabilities and more in how they are applied collectively. Their strength lies in improving how the ecosystem functions as a whole, enabling faster development, more effective deployment, and continuous adaptation to evolving operational requirements.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Conclusion</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The basis of military advantage is shifting. It is no longer defined by platforms alone, but by the ability to integrate, adapt, and scale technology in response to changing operational demands.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sovereign dual-use technologies are central to this shift. They combine the speed of civilian innovation with the control required for strategic systems, enabling faster capability development, reducing critical dependencies, and strengthening control over critical technological layers. More importantly, they help align the Armed Forces, DRDO, industry, and academia into a more responsive and effective ecosystem. Resilience, in this context, is built through coherence and control. Nations that can anchor their defence capability in sovereign, dual-use technologies will be better placed to adapt, sustain, and evolve in the face of changing operational demands.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://imrmedia.in/leveraging-sovereign-dual-use-technologies/">Leveraging Sovereign Dual-Use Technologies</a> appeared first on <a href="https://imrmedia.in">IMR</a>.</p>
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		<title>Disruptive Technologies in Surveillance &#038; Intelligence Gathering</title>
		<link>https://imrmedia.in/disruptive-technologies-in-surveillance-intelligence-gathering/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Brig Yogi Kapoor]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Sep 2020 15:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[C4ISR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Emerging Technologies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Disruptive Technologies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[emerging technologies]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.imrmedia.in/?p=10269</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The Key to Tilting The Balance in War The ‘Just War’ tradition incorpo-rates a mutually agreed set of rules evolved between two culturally similar adversaries; adversaries to whom, civilizations travelled across land-mass to vie for seat of learning!  Here the anta-gonists differ greatly in spite of being the two oldest known civilizations in the history [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://imrmedia.in/disruptive-technologies-in-surveillance-intelligence-gathering/">Disruptive Technologies in Surveillance &#038; Intelligence Gathering</a> appeared first on <a href="https://imrmedia.in">IMR</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-key-to-tilting-the-balance-in-war">The Key to Tilting The Balance in War</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The ‘Just War’ tradition incorpo-rates a mutually agreed set of rules evolved between two culturally similar adversaries; adversaries to whom, civilizations travelled across land-mass to vie for seat of learning!  Here the anta-gonists differ greatly in spite of being the two oldest known civilizations in the history of mankind – differing in ethnicity, race, language and most importantly in its beliefs.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">China, blinded by its hegemony and ferment expansionism, has embarked to rock the boat on many fronts. On the Himalayan frontier with India in Eastern Ladakh, at the South China Sea (SCS) with South East Asian nations and the littorals, the Yellow Sea bordered on the west and&nbsp;north&nbsp;by the Chinese provinces Hebei, Tianjin, Shandong and Liaoning adjoining the East China Sea (ECS), reclaiming the Pamirs (when Tajikistan was forced to cede a 1158 Sq km of territory in the Pamirs to China as part of debt forgiveness deal), claiming parts of Bhutan and Nepal. Fermenting trouble in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region by carrying out a demographic change of the Uighurs Muslims, shifting them into detention centers to de-Islamicise or Sinicise them and conducting crackdowns from Tibet to Inner Mangolia.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-downward-spiral">Downward Spiral</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The canvas drawn out by China in a pre-emptive bid to consolidate Xi Jinping’s powers before the Centenary celebrations of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and materialization of the lofty ‘China Dream’ in 2021 appears deranged. Seeing India’s stand, the smaller powers have started to show gall. Indonesia refused bases to the Chinese and is vehemently objecting to Chinese transgressions in the Natuna Sea. The row with Australia is worsening. Taiwan has issued warnings of retaliation in case of violations to their airspace and Hong Kong simmers despite the issue of a wide ranging new Security Law by China on 30 June 2020. The latest step is the downward spiral in relations with its dueling economic adversary, the US, with both sides imposing visa restrictions, new rules on diplomatic travel, and the expulsion of foreign correspondents, besides closing selective Consulates, triggering a Trade War that threatens the sanity of the world markets.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>ALSO READ: </strong><a href="https://www.imrmedia.in/army2020-future-military-technologies-gen-mm-naravane-on-changing-characteristics-of-warfare/">Future Military Technologies : Gen MM Naravane on Changing Characteristics of Warfare</a></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The condition of&nbsp;‘jus ad bellum’ obviously thrown to the winds have had realists, who have studied Thucydides’&nbsp; ‘History of the Peloponnesian War’, comment why Carl von Clausewitz’s ‘War invariably being the extension of politics by other means,’ and ensconced by China&#8217;s President, Xi Jinping in the ensuing transgressions – forensically implicates involvement of the highest office. Axiomatically, in Eastern Ladakh against India, the plans for Chinese transgressions would have been chalked out at the highest central levels, when a major winter training exercise in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), in keeping with the revised Chinese paradigm of ‘Realistic Training’ enunciated in the Chinese DefenceWhite Paper of 2019 titled, ‘China’s National Defense in a New Era’, highlighting Chinese emphasis on “combat readiness and military training in real combat conditions”, swung hundreds of kilometers Westwards opposite the Depsang Plains, unprovoked, in complete order of battle.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-technology-the-joker-in-the-pack">Technology – the Joker in the Pack?</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Chinese military manoeuvres in TAR, in April this year, took the Indian security establishment by surprise with no palpable reason to alter decades of peace and tranquility and compromising the confidence building measures (CBM) had governments huddle, building international diplomatic consensus against unilateral Chinese actions. Whilst in the ensuing months the melee vacillated from hardening of postures to exercising quid pro quo (QPQ) options with the hyperventilating media waxing eloquent on Indian options, the one aspect that was heard as whispers in the corridors pointed once again to an Intelligence shortfall.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Indian Army’s entanglement to combat Coronavirus by declaration of ‘Operation Namaste’, and with imbued professional trust on the Chinese for adhering to the decades old agreements and treaties, that since lay shattered, could technology have altered the discourse and forced a decision matrix when forays into hithertofore contested, but unoccupied areas were being transgressed with motives to change the status quo in a by now colloquial terminology for land grab &#8211; ‘salaami slicing’? Speaking at a two-day seminar on the “Impact of Disruptive Technologies on Our Fighting Philosophy in Future Conflicts”, as part of the Defence and Strategy Seminar 2020 at Army War College, Mhow, the Indian Army chief Gen MM Naravane, in end-August, clearly highlighted the impact of disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, robotics, 5G, cyber, augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality (AR/ VR/ MR), Big Data analytics, quantum computing and cyber warfare as being a course deciders for future wars.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Technology spiral is like the proverbial joker in the pack. You never know when the next disruption takes the security industry by storm and the previous solution gets lost in the shuffle. The horizon of technological development is vast and fast changing in character – offering imaginative and intelligent palates. There is plenty of operating space, both for the imbecile and the endowed, with customer raking in the benefit of cost and utility as per their own manifestation and needs.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>ALSO READ</strong>: <a href="https://www.imrmedia.in/contactless-war-dawn-of-a-dialectical-evolution-in-warfare/">Contactless War: Dawn of a Dialectical Evolution in Warfare</a></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Intelligent monitoring and detection systems form the harbinger of such developments, now juxtaposing advanced video analytics and facial recognition tools for forensics. Big Data, robotics and visualization riding on a common architecture of machine learning (ML) have revolutionized beliefs and facilitated outcomes. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors due to their principles of operation, price, performance, reliability, size, weight and power efficiency seem to have provided the disruption in the security industry. Commercialization finds applicability along hostile border environments, where the difference between detection of an infraction and an intrusion is often a national security compromise. The Eastern Ladakh impasse with China only substantiates the point.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Military intelligence gathering includes multi-discipline&nbsp;activities ranging from human&nbsp;intelligence (HUMINT), signals intelligence (SIGINT), imagery intelligence (IMINT), measurement and signatures intelligence (MASINT) and open source intelligence (OSINT).&nbsp;Dedicated military satellites with ISR functions give details with pin point accuracy and have become central to military operational planning at higher levels but have their attendant limitations of pass, orbiting height, drag and image resolution. Whilst all organs of the State machinery function as per their charter, many a task force in the past have recommended statutory changes to institute more accountability with contemporary intelligence acquisition means to mitigate the challenges and usher new age technologies. This article endeavours to showcase only a ‘Splice of the Intelligence Pie’, at the altar of disruptive technologies.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-succor-in-the-convoluted-canvas">Succor in the Convoluted Canvas</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Mapping large inaccessible expanse of ground requires an airborne moving LiDAR, mounted atop an aerial platform. The topographic LiDAR, as it is called for this use case, is used in many civil applications for forestry, hydrology, geomorphology, urban planning, landscape ecology, coastal engineering, survey assessments and volumetric calculations. The terrestrial LiDAR generates dense point cloud, of immense utility for identifying target objects for use in analytics and creating 3D replicable models, ideal for war planning.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The PLA Army (PLAA) has been conducting training and live exercises codenamed ‘Stride&nbsp;and&nbsp;Firepower’. The PLA Navy (PLAN) has also been conducting training in the far seas, deploying aircraft carrier task group and the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) has conducted combat patrols in SCS and security patrols in the ECS and operated in the West Pacific. The PLA Rocket Force (PLARF) on the other hand has organized ‘force-on-force’ evaluation-oriented training and joint manouevres code-named &#8220;Heavenly Sword”, as part of the Chinese ‘Combat readiness and military training in real combat conditions’ paradigm.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sensors like remote video surveillance, unattended ground sensors, radars and cameras dexterously cherry picked, smartly fused and curated with deep logic algorithms bind a perfect visualization for the user’s situational awareness. LiDAR, an optical radar, uses active remote sensing techniques with its properties of scattering, absorption, reflection, and fluorescence to facilitate detecting, tracking and classification and identifying the physical properties of the target objects/ activities. The details that can manifest off a LiDAR include detection range at reflectivity rates, vertical and horizontal resolution, points per second, laser wavelength, angular accuracy, beam divergence and field of view convergence amongst others, yielding a fair amount of detail of the target profile under all conditions of weather and temperature. A commensurate attack profile can then be mounted based on these fixes to take out the target with the precision of a surgeon’s knife. LiDAR&nbsp;produces mass point cloud datasets that can be managed, visualized and analyzed, leveraging immense operational utility in the field. The systems work with precision and renders accuracy in centimetres. Use of this disruptive technology in Eastern Ladakh would have generated a real time cogent operational picture for own force orchestration, retention of operational balance and disbursed a cogent response mechanism to stymie Chinese designs.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sensors vary in form, size and characteristics that define their fidelity and, therefore, utility. Today, these are extensively being used for mapping, in geographic information systems (GIS), for terrain profiling, to aid deforestation and a host of other civil applications. The operational control needs to spell out a sensor framework that tracks targets over time, using disparate sensors of varying sensitivities and characteristics, yielding a fused output picture for ease of decision making. After factoring AI and ML in the algorithms, the data sets generated over time will only produce more cogent and hard intelligence, negating false echo and noise.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Non-kinetic effects on the target country without the timestamp of the aggressor, alters the punitive capability it brings to bear and places target nations at the profanity of constant war. Political scientists have debated revised definitions of war, peace, limited/unlimited wars, grey-zone warfare, hybrid wars and skirmishes, through the prism of ways-ends-means analysis, presenting ambivalence in the conflict zone. The battle will no longer be joined and yet nations will be at war. The targets will shift from military to economic and degrade the comprehensive capability of nations to wage war. The military would perhaps be the last to participate in the kinetic parleys that it has been ordained and trained to unleash. Technology use with hackers and deep fakers will shape perception and endeavour to cloud decision-making and situational clarity, a la, Global Times. Reliance on technology to warn, mitigate and launch counters – in that order – will need to be unleashed. The capabilities accompanying infusion of such technology will provide much succor in the convoluted environment.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Speed of decision-making has always been of temporal consideration since Col Boyd defined disruption of the enemy observe-orient-decide-act (OODA) cycle. Lately, the quality of decision-making is under focus using AI and ML. Platforms based on the unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are integrated into force protection systems so that a tempered force projection capability in acceptable time frame is created. For this, all assets under the command of an operational commander are synchronized and a common operational picture (COP) generated.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A holistic object-tracking framework aided and abetted by AI and Deep Learning algorithms needs to be incorporated amidst the operational planning resources. The labeled data being generated almost real-time by processing information at the ‘Edge’, without having to port it to cloud-based servers, saves on latency, protects the data from third-party custodian of servers and offers the leverage to the operational commander to make considered decisions on the spot. The AI also converges data types from differently abled sensors with varying size, fidelity and sensitivities; generating different spatial and temporal sample rates and resolution, and offers a high-fidelity fused output.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-conclusion">Conclusion</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The US has derived that hitting a target is no longer the issue for them. It is the speed of decision-making identified as amongst the most important of the military capabilities. As is evident from the postulates of effect-based operations (EBO) the desire is not always to unleash kinetic effects on the target force. It is the need for accurate information that drives persistent surveillance.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Analytics, automation and visualization are the layers that need to be embedded into the operational resources of the field commanders. The next set of actions would depend on sifting and interpretation of data. Following a ‘System of Systems’ approach that entails selecting the correct platform, picking the right sensors and targeting the back-end processing, will derive the required disruption in the process.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sensor technology, in the Indian context needs to be software-defined, with open architecture, built on standard protocols and open to technology insertion over their life cycles. AI has the potential to help decision-making in ambiguous situations. In the India-China context, the situations on ground require some human judgment for which AI would be an apt adjudicator.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Capability development is an ongoing process that India can hardly relegate any further. With the gravity of the Chinese military weight knocking at the Indian gateway, a force-on-force build up will yield no lasting outcomes; opening additional fronts making little strategic sense. A succinct tilt towards layering our operational planning with disruptive technology will facilitate balance in India’s favour and indeed be a course decider for future wars.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://imrmedia.in/disruptive-technologies-in-surveillance-intelligence-gathering/">Disruptive Technologies in Surveillance &#038; Intelligence Gathering</a> appeared first on <a href="https://imrmedia.in">IMR</a>.</p>
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		<title>Army Needs to Look at Disruptive Technologies, says Army Chief</title>
		<link>https://imrmedia.in/army-needs-to-look-at-disruptive-technologies-says-army-chief/</link>
					<comments>https://imrmedia.in/army-needs-to-look-at-disruptive-technologies-says-army-chief/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[IMR Reporter]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2020 14:20:46 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Defence News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[defense news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Disruptive Technologies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Future Conflicts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gen MM Naravane]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Strategy Seminar]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.imrmedia.in/?p=9902</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Disruptive technologies and new domains of warfare are forcing the militaries across the globe to re-structure, and reorganize in an effort to fight future wars. While highlighting the impact of disruptive technologies, the Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane stated that the current modernization drive was focused on upgrading existing weapon systems and platforms. He [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://imrmedia.in/army-needs-to-look-at-disruptive-technologies-says-army-chief/">Army Needs to Look at Disruptive Technologies, says Army Chief</a> appeared first on <a href="https://imrmedia.in">IMR</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Disruptive technologies and new domains of warfare are forcing the militaries across the globe to re-structure, and reorganize in an effort to fight future wars. While highlighting the impact of disruptive technologies, the Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane stated that the current modernization drive was focused on upgrading existing weapon systems and platforms. He was speaking at a two-day seminar on the “Impact of Disruptive Technologies on Our Fighting Philosophy in Future Conflicts” as part of the Defence and Strategy Seminar 2020 at Army War College, Mhow.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">He also talked about a national mission for identifying the needs and congruence of products into military applications, which must form part of the modernization strategy of the armed forces.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">ALSO READ <a href="https://www.imrmedia.in/army2020-future-military-technologies-gen-mm-naravane-on-changing-characteristics-of-warfare/">Future Military Technologies : Gen MM Naravane on Changing Characteristics of Warfare</a></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The seminar was the first virtual initiative of its kind at such a large scale where disruptive technologies like Robotics, Big Data Analytics, Cyber, and Small Satellite, 5G/6G, Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality (AR / VR), Quantum Computing and cyber warfare were discussed. The virtual event was streamed across 54 locations with 82 outstations.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The panellist included military, technocrats, academician and speakers who discussed relevant themes and how to develop them in doctrines and formal papers. The keynote address was delivered by Lieutenant General Raj Shukla, GOC-in-C, ARTRAC.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There is an urgent need for the Indian Armed Forces to focus on the available disruptive technologies, especially those that have dual-use and are now being driven by innovations and commercial entities.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Why was the seminar important?</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">World over there is a technology tsunami underway and it has compelled the militaries to reorganise and re-structure to fight future wars.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">According to the Indian Army, the discussion with experts gave an insight into the complex themes and was also a sounding board on strategic and doctrinal issues which are of critical importance.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What does the Indian Army need on urgent basis?</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As has been reported earlier by Financial Express Online, if the Indian Army is going to be deployed in the Galwan Valley along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) there is urgent requirement for the Battlefield Management Systems (BMS); drones – both armed any unarmed; Future Ready Combat Vehicles (FRCV); Infantry Combat Vehicles including light Tanks among other platforms.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Importance of Indigenous BMS</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There is an urgent need for the Indian Army to enhance its Net-Centric Operational (NCO) capabilities. This will help in inter-connecting the frontline combat soldier through modern Digital Network.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The programme which was shelved by the Ministry of Defence in 2017 due to shortage of funds needs to be revived as it will help in integrating the frontline troops of infantry battalions and armoured corps, and who can effectively handle various levels of combat information. This is useful for deploying armament effectively.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Each soldier has a digital identity and interconnected tactical communication network in BMS.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As reported earlier, the Indian Army had evolved the requirement of this system from a long term perspective. This was done especially in an effort to support Command &amp; Control infrastructure for a large number of troops.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">What was the status of the BMS before it was put on hold?</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It had reached a level where two Development Agencies were chosen — Tata Power (Strategic Engineering Division) in partnership with L&amp;T, Bharat Electronics and Rolta, India.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Indigenous Netcentric Operations Systems</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The focus of the Chief of Defence Staff is to integrate the resources of the three services. However, this can be possible only through the interoperability of Network Centric Systems of the Army, Navy and the Indian Air Force.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The three services have independently developed their own indigenous NCO systems. “Re-appropriation of naval air assets in deserts etc. and similar measures on ad-hoc basis needs to be part of a holistic NCO vision. Most importantly there is a need to have the information flow through the BMS to the frontline Army resources,” explained an officer who wished to remain anonymous.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://imrmedia.in/army-needs-to-look-at-disruptive-technologies-says-army-chief/">Army Needs to Look at Disruptive Technologies, says Army Chief</a> appeared first on <a href="https://imrmedia.in">IMR</a>.</p>
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