The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony today asked the top brass of the Armed Forces to work in unison and make cyber systems ‘as secure and as non-porous as possible’. Addressing the Army Commanders here, Shri Antony said cyber-warfare is becoming a serious threat to security.
“The paradigms of security in the age of Information Technology are seldom constant. The evolving security matrix is complex and calls for co-operation and coordination of the highest level. Today, no single service can work in isolation. Cyber warfare and threats to cyber security are fast becoming the next generation of threats. We need to make our cyber systems as secure and as non-porous as possible”, he said.
Shri Antony made a strong plea for synergy among the three Forces and said the future security matrix calls for a high-degree of cooperation and inter-dependence among the Services. He said the primary area of focus should be to develop as a force capable of operating in joint network – centric environment. Besides these the other emerging areas that warrant synergised development are space, NBC, Cyber Warfare capabilities, Air Defence, Rotary Wing Assistance, precision munitions, standoff targeting and missiles, communication systems, logistics and joint training.
“Though significant progress has been made towards accomplishing jointness in various operational training and administrative facets among the three Services, there are a number of areas congruence that need to be strengthened further”, he said.
Referring to the Modernisation Plans of the Armed Forces, the Defence Minister said it is in our long term national interest that we become self reliant in the field of critical defence equipment. He said modernisation plans of the Armed Forces encompass force modernisation and development of critical combat capabilities, not only against potential adversaries, but across the spectrum of conflict. Modernisation of the Armed Forces wholly depends upon the capital acquisition plan.
However, the acquisition of critical technologies from foreign countries is subject to various technology denial regimes and the prevailing global geo-political situation. Shri Antony said the Defence Public Sector Undertakings are today at a threshold, capable of undertaking design and development work as also to come up with product upgrades on their own.
Despite these achievements we must guard against complacency and must ceaselessly work towards more value addition, product support and serviceability of the supplies made to the end-users – the Services. “It is the collective responsibility of all DPSUs to optimize cost-effectiveness and must adhere to time and cost targets”, Shri Antony said.
