Technology driving geopolitics, national security like never before: Rajnath Singh

Nilgiris, April 10: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that Artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies are revolutionising deterrence and war fighting in critical ways, adding that warfare moving rapidly, beyond the traditional domains of land, sea, and air, to space, cyber, the undersea and newer domains of creative endeavor.

"At present, technology is driving geopolitics and national security like never before. AI and the emerging basket of technologies - robotics, military autonomy, dronery, quantum, blockchain, space, cyber, electronics, additive manufacturing and the like- are revolutionising deterrence and war fighting in critical ways. Warfare is moving rapidly, beyond the traditional domains of land, sea, and air, to space, cyber, the undersea and newer domains of creative endeavour," Rajnath Singh said while participating in the annual day celebration of the Defence Staff Training College at Wellington, Nilgiris.

He said that his ministry is making significant progress on the goals set for the year 2025 aimed at transforming India's armed forces into a technologically advanced and combat-ready force capable of multi-domain integrated operations.

The defence minister pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation of the vision of SAGAR- Security and Growth for All in the Region. The Centre has taken the SAGAR further, announcing a vision for the Global South, he said.

"10 years ago, our Prime Minister laid the foundation of the vision of SAGAR- Security and Growth for All in the Region. This vision was for the stability and prosperity of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Today, we have taken this further, and our Prime Minister has announced a vision for the Global South, which, going beyond SAGAR, has been defined as MAHASAGAR- Mutual and Holistic Advancement of the Security and Growth Across the Region,"

The defence minister said his ministry has identified nine broad areas as part of the modernisation drive in the armed forces. He said the entire range of modernisation imperatives, including defence acquisition and procedural reforms, have been addressed.

"In pursuit of our need to modernise and remain relevant to the future, the Ministry of Defence has decided to observe 2025 as the year of reforms. This would aim at transforming our armed forces into a technologically advanced and combat-ready force capable of multi-domain integrated operations," he said

"Nine broad areas have been identified, and the entire range of modernisation imperatives, including defence acquisition and procedural reforms, have been addressed. I am pleased to share that collectively, we are making significant progress on the goals we have set for ourselves," he added.

He said that technology is not a support element but a decisive enabler of operational success.

"Our armed forces must therefore not only keep pace with technological changes, but also lead it. The need for us is to develop low-cost high-tech solutions and enhance the fighting capability of the armed forces," he said.

"India, and for that matter the world, faces a diverse range of security challenges. In our case, we face persistent threats along our Northern and western borders. It is further compounded by the threat of proxy war and terrorism emanating from the epicenter of terrorism in our neighbourhood. The ongoing conflict in West Asia and the geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific to our East have their impact on our overall security calculus. In addition, the capability to address non-traditional security threats to include natural disasters and climate change effects are increasingly becoming important," he said.

He added that the global geo-political situation is marked by tremendous flux, with rapidly shifting alignments, disruptions and conflicts being the order of the day. Issues such as deglobalisation, intense nationalism, resource scarcity, human migration, food security, climate concerns and the threat of global pandemics loomed large, he added.

"This is accompanied by weaponization of trade and finance, and anxieties that are created due to concentration of supply chains, monopoly over disruptive technologies and anxieties over the transparency of data flows. It is no surprise that the world is moving to an era of self-help and unilateral decisions, leading to a decline of global institutions and order. We are seeing this unfold before our very eyes today," he said.

He said that dronery for instance, has emerged in Ukraine-Russia conflict, virtually as a new arm, if not a transformative science.

" The majority of losses of soldiers and equipment have been attributed neither to traditional artillery nor to armour but to drones. Space capacities in the Low Earth Orbit, similarly, are transforming military intelligence, persistent surveillance, positioning, targeting and communications - thus taking combat to a new high. The power of technological innovation in combat theatres is breathtaking indeed," he said.

"We are in the age of Grey Zone and Hybrid warfare where Cyber-attacks, disinformation campaigns, and economic warfare have become tools that can prosecute and achieve politico-military aims without a single shot being fired," he added.

Reader Comments

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Priya K.

This is such an important perspective! Technology is changing everything, including defense strategies. India needs to stay ahead in AI and drone tech to protect our borders. Kudos to the defense ministry for prioritizing modernization 🇮🇳

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Rahul S.

While I appreciate the focus on tech, I hope we're also investing equally in training our soldiers to use these new systems. The human element remains crucial in warfare, no matter how advanced our drones become.

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Anjali M.

MAHASAGAR vision sounds promising! But how will we ensure these technologies don't escalate tensions with neighboring countries? We need strong diplomatic channels alongside military advancements.

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Vikram P.

The Ukraine conflict has shown how crucial drone warfare is. Glad India is paying attention! 🚀 But we need to develop these technologies indigenously - can't rely on imports for critical defense systems.

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Sanjay D.

Interesting read. Though I wonder - with all this focus on high-tech defense, are we neglecting basic soldier welfare? Better rations, housing and healthcare for our jawans is equally important.

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Neha R.

Cybersecurity should be our top priority! Recent attacks show how vulnerable we are. Hope the defense budget reflects this urgent need. The article rightly points out how wars are now fought in cyberspace too.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.