SAFE IN CYBERSPACE

The Indian armed forces are strengthening their cyberspace capabilities,

- ATUL CHANDRA

Cyberspace has emerged as a vitally important domain in modern warfare, in addition to the traditional domains of warfare, including Land, Sea, and Air. Unlike the domains of land, sea, and air, which have territorial limits, cyberspace has no such boundaries. A nation's ability to defend itself in the physical realm can come under severe duress due to hostile actions in cyberspace, and this could impact the warfighting ability of the armed forces at critical periods.

The Government of India (GoI), the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the armed forces are seized of the challenges in the cyber domain of warfare, and as a result, significant changes are being brought about to deliver a strong national capability to enable and defend against cyber operations. It is with this intent that the Defence Cyber Agency (DCA) and Army, Navy and Air Force Cyber Groups were established with a specific charter to protect and defend their Information and Communication Technology assets (ICT) and also deter adversary attempts at cyber warfare.

The Indian armed forces, MoD and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) today operate on a significantly enhanced 'Cyber Security posture' as compared to the past, with increased synergy between the various cyber groups and National cyber agencies. The GoI also announced this March that it had launched a multi-pronged effort to strengthen national security, law enforcement, and governance across India to strengthen internal security and cybersecurity. This would involve strengthening cybercrime infrastructure through the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), cyber fraud mitigation centres, suspect registry, Cyber-Commando wing and a National Cyber Threat Intelligence system to proactively counter digital threats.

Secure Space