Emerging Technologies and India's Defense Preparedness

Rapid transformation in ‘disruptive technologies’ is changing the landscape of military capability and strategy. Emerging technologies such as Autonomous weapons, cyber weapons, weaponization of space, and Artificial intelligence, by themselves or in combination with conventional modes of warfare, are determining the success and failure in contemporary battlefields. Not only conventional wars but also leave a deep imprint on sub-conventional and nuclear battlespaces. As a latecomer to indigenous capability generation in modern military hardware, India’s imperative, to paraphrase Prime Minister Modi, is to combine the third and fourth industrial revolutions in military capabilities. However, incorporating these emerging technologies in India’s military preparedness is only part of this transformation. Technology by itself hardly wins wars; it needs to be included in military strategy and tactics. Facing a growing threat from Pakistan and China, how is the Indian military coping with the challenge of emerging technologies? What kind of capabilities is the Indian military developing in these fields? Finally, how do these new platforms fit into India’s military strategy vis-à-vis its regional rivals: Pakistan and China? This workshop will focus on how the Indian military is dealing with the challenge and opportunities provided by four critical emerging technologies, mainly Autonomous systems, Cyberwarfare, Space, and AI, in transforming its warfighting potential and strategy.

Programme and Agenda

Opening Address: 11:00am to 11:15 am

Harsh Pant, Vice President - Studies and Foreign Policy, Observer Research Foundation

Iqbal Singh Sevea, Director, Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore

Panel Discussion: 11:15am to 12:00pm

Topics

1. Autonomous Systems

Speaker:  Yogesh Joshi, Research Fellow, Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore

2. Cyber warfare

Speaker:  Karthik Nachiappan, Research Fellow, Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore

3. Weaponization of Space

Speaker:  Kartik Bommakanti, Senior Fellow, Strategic Studies Programme, Observer Research Foundation

4. Artificial Intelligence

Speaker:  Antara Vats, Junior Fellow, Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology, Observer Research Foundation

Moderator:  Trisha Ray, Deputy Director, Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology, Observer Research Foundation

Discussants’ remarks: 12:00pm to 12:20pm

Shruti Pandalai, Fellow, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi

Shravishtha Ajaykumar, Associate Fellow at the Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi 

Open Discussion: 12:20 pm to 1:00pm.