The Indian Army is in the process of developing military-grade 5G and 6G telecom applications as part of a project to address future warfare requirements and roll out critical technologies to enhance overall efficiency. The army is also actively developing military-grade software including artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled decision-making tools and predictive analytics, with an aim to enhance intelligence and operational efficacy. The software and technologies are being developed in cooperation with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
The Indian Army has established 5G labs, while the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering in Madhya Pradesh is soon expected to be a 6G test bed. The institute has evolved into a hub for AI research and development. Innovations such as the situational awareness module for the army and advanced pattern recognition software for satellite imagery analysis are notable outcomes of the institute.
Further, several initiatives have been taken to upskill army personnel with the latest advancements in digital and cyber security spheres. Some of the specific training activities include training on digital video/image and CCTV forensics’ at the National Science University, Gandhinagar, and joint training of IT staff at the National Informatics Centre (NIC). The softwares to read enemy’s electronic order of battle (ORBAT) and pattern recognition, developed by the army, are functional now.
According to the army, acknowledging the critical importance of cybersecurity, its expertise is being integrated with security operations centre 2.0 which marks a significant step in managing cyber threats. This move is bolstered by the development of cutting-edge cybersecurity and cyber forensics tools.
