Army developing ways to deal with drone threats: Gen Naravane

Army Chief General M M Naravane on Thursday said that easy availability of drones has increased the complexity of security challenges from both state and state-sponsored actors and called for shedding 'old mindsets' to deal with the changing character of modern warfare encompassing a multitude of new threats.

Speaking at a think-tank, he said the transition of the military to the digital age is 'contrarian' to the defence procurement procedure and that the first and foremost issue was changing the existing mindset to embrace change.

The Army Chief's comments came days after explosives-laden drones were used to carry out an attack on the Jammu Air Force station in the first such instance of suspected Pakistan-based terrorists deploying unmanned aerial vehicles to strike at vital installations in India.

Gen Naravane said that there was a need for shedding old mindsets and make procedures 'more flexible' and 'adaptive' to bring in changes and incorporate niche technologies like artificial technologies to deal with emerging challenges and prepare for future wars.

"All this would require simplified procedures that facilitate the transition. Unfortunately, this has been one of our biggest stumbling blocks. The transition to digital age is contrarian to DPP (Defence Procurement Procedure) and DPM (Defence Procurement Manual) mindsets.

"In order to harness niche technologies like AI, exploit our depth in IT and realise the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India), we need to shed old mindsets and make our procedures more flexible and adaptive," he said.

Gen Naravane said the urgency to embrace the change will come only with the realisation and understanding of the changed character of modern warfare and that the leadership needs to fully comprehend the nuances of new technologies.

The Army Chief also referred to noted military historian B H Liddell Hart's famous quote: "The only thing harder than getting a new idea into the military mind is to get an old one out."

Referring to new-age security challenges, he said building drones became like a 'Do It Yourself (DYI) project that could be tackled at home'.

"The easy availability of drones definitely raises the complexity and challenges that we have to deal with. We are seized of the problem and we have put in place certain measures," Gen Naravane said at the virtual conference organised by Global Counter Terrorism Council.

He said that troops on the ground were sensitised about the evolving threat and that capabilities are being developed to deal with the challenges from both states and state-sponsored actors.

Referring to artificial intelligence (AI), Gen Naravane said it is becoming a critical part of modern warfare.

He said based on the recommendations of the National Task Force on artificial intelligence, the Army has streamlined the implementation of its AI-driven plans and schemes.

"Much work is underway in this direction to operationalise the capability in different terrains, at varying altitudes and over extended ranges," he said.

Gen Naravane also said that a data governance policy to streamline the flow of data for usage in various AI applications and creation of a Centre of Excellence for AI in Mhow along with an AI lab are some other initiatives already undertaken by the Army.

"Artificial Intelligence, is today the modern, holy grail of technology, with far reaching implications on the nature of geopolitics and geo-strategics. By way of impact and influence, it will exceed the Industrial Revolution by several orders of magnitude," he said.

The Army Chief said AI systems would be the enablers for the forces to operate in the future multi-domain operations where AI-infused autonomous weapon systems would become force multipliers in future wars and be the fulcrum around which big data will be turned into actionable intelligence.

At the same time, he also talked about exercising some caution.

"The induction of modern technologies would also need to be seen in the context of our active borders, the peculiarities of the Line of Control and the Line of Actual Control, and the mandate to ensure territorial integrity," he said.

"While greater integration of Artificial Intelligence, and better computing power, will undoubtedly augment human effort and also free up resources, there are areas where this would not work or have negligible impact," he added.

The Army Chief said that since World War II, high-tech militaries have been thwarted consistently by low-tech opponents.

"Thus, there is a need to maintain a balance while infusing technology into our inventory and doctrines," he added.

'Situation in J-K saw marked improvement after Indo-Pak ceasefire in Feb'

There has been no infiltration along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kasmir after India and Pakistan agreed to observe a ceasefire in February and it has resulted in a significant drop in all parameters of violence, General Naravane said.

Gen Naravane also said there will always be elements who will try to sabotage the process of peace and development and the security forces will have to be mindful of this challenge.

In a sudden and significant move aimed at reducing tensions, the Indian and Pakistani armies announced on February 25 that they would cease firing across the LoC, while recommitting themselves to a 2003 ceasefire agreement.

The Chief of Army Staff said following the February ceasefire, the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir has seen a 'marked improvement'.

"Since there is a ceasefire, there is no longer any infiltration. As there is no infiltration, the number of terrorists in the valley is lesser and as the number of terrorists is lesser, the number of terror-related incidents has also seen a drop," Gen Naravane said.

"But there will always be elements who will try to sabotage the process of peace and development. We will have to cater for that. We have a strong counter-terrorism and counter-infiltration grid in Jammu and Kashmir and our operations to that end to ensure peace and tranquillity will continue," he added.

The Army Chief said there were certain incidents of violence like firing at some security forces' picket or gunning down of some person.

"These kinds of incidents do continue. But overall, the sharp drop in all parameters of violence clearly indicates that the general population in Kashmir is all for peace and development," he said.

Going forward, the Army Chief said there is a need to focus more on creating conditions that are conducive to peace and development.

Asked about the possible impact on India of the US troops withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban increasing its influence in that country, Gen Naravane declined to give a direct reply, saying the American drawdown is still underway.

"So in that front, we will have to wait and watch to see how it unfolds and how it impacts us," he said.

Asked about the recent drone attack on the Jammu Air Force station, he said, "I am sure that there would be some inimical elements who would not like peace to prevail in the Valley."

"Post the ceasefire, all the parameters of violence have dropped. So there was definitely a linkage between the support that the terrorists got from across the border and the levels of violence in the Kashmir valley," the Army Chief added.

Pakistan has been making concerted efforts to internationalise the Kashmir issue.

The neighbouring country stepped up an anti-India campaign after New Delhi announced in August 2019 its decision to withdraw the special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into Union territories.

India has told Pakistan that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Islamabad in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence. The country has said the onus is on Pakistan to create such an environment.