 "How is India ramping up use of AI in the military?")
The Indian Army is ramping up its use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the military.
India last year used AI to keep an eye on its borders with Pakistan and China.
Now, the Indian Army and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) are jointly developing military-grade software that includes Artificial Intelligence-enabled decision-making tools and predictive analytics as well as military grade 5G and 6G.
But how is India incorporating AI into the military?
Let’s take a closer look:
According to the South Asian Voices website, India used 140 AI-based surveillance systems such as high-resolution cameras, sensors, unmanned aerial vehicle feeds, and radar feeds across the Pakistan border in October 2023.
Swarm drones that can take out delivery systems that deliver nuclear bomb were a crucial technological advance over the past year.
India’s Artificial Intelligence Military Council, established in 2022, is critical to its AI strategy.
The council has a $12 million annual budget for the Defense AI Project Agency (DAIPA).
DAIPA, which delivered 30 maritime AI programmes in 2022, is likely to develop another 25 AI military products by 2024.
DW quoted think-tank Delhi Policy Group as saying the Indian military is likely earmarking around US$50 million per year to spend on AI.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“From border control to comprehensive surveillance and drones equipped with AI-based aircraft technology that excel in performing day and night reconnaissance missions, India realises, like other militaries around the world, the importance of integrating AI into war-fighting systems,” defence analyst Lt General Shankar Prasad told the outlet.
The outlet reported that India is utilising AI-based real-time monitoring software to gather intel in counter-terrorist ops.
The Indian Army is also training its new recruits on hi-tech military simulators.
They said several initiatives have been taken with an aim 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 National Science University (Gandhinagar) and joint training of IT staff at National Informatics Centre (NIC).
Defence officials told the outlet that AI could revolutionise the Indian Army and the way it operates.
“AI can be a game-changer in logistics, information operations, intelligence collection and analysis,” a senior defence ministry official told DW.
“Though India’s adoption of military AI technology is relatively recent, we have made substantial progress in launching AI-enabled military devices. Using AI-powered drones and robots to patrol borders provides increased coverage and reduces the need for human intervention in dangerous situations,” the official added.
Indian Army Chief Manoj Pande in an interview with Business Today laid out the approach.
“We have established the philosophy for both AI and machine learning within the army. Specifically in the realm of AI, we are focusing on surveillance and image interpretation,” Pande said.
‘Developing military-grade 5G and 6G’
Not only is the army is developing military-grade 5G and 6G telecom applications as part of an ambitious project to address future warfare requirements, it is also rolling out critical technologies to enhance overall efficiency, a source told PTI.
The army is also actively developing military-grade software that includes Artificial Intelligence-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 and the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering in Madhya Pradesh is poised to be a 6G test bed,” said a source.
“The development of military-grade 5G and 6G applications is being undertaken which meets the future warfare requirements,” it said.
The Military College of Telecommunication Engineering has evolved into a hub for AI research and development, the sources said.
Innovations like the situational awareness module for army (SAMA) and advanced pattern recognition software for satellite imagery analysis are notable outcomes that came out of the institute, they added.
The sources said the software to read Enemy’s Electronic Order of Battle (ORBAT) and pattern recognitions, developed by the Army, are functional now.
Acknowledging the critical importance of cybersecurity, the Indian Army’s expertise is being integrated with security operations Centre 2.0 that marks a significant step in managing cyber threats, they said.
This move is bolstered by the development of cutting-edge cybersecurity and cyber forensics tools, they said.
The sources said initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Gati Shakti Yojana have incorporated Army’s logistic infrastructure requirements.
“This will ensure that mobilisation in future wars is fast-paced and logistics supply is made more efficient by use of national infrastructure,” said a source.
The Indian Army has been repeatedly commended for being one of the largest users of the government e-Marketplace portal and it exemplifies efficiency and transparency in procurement processes, the sources said.
They said the army’s healthcare system has witnessed a digital revolution with ‘Dhanwantri’ software which facilitated linking over 110 military hospitals for enhanced medical services.
Medical services are being provided to remote posts using telemedicine services.
“Himan Resource Management Suite (HRMS) is functioning effectively to manage documentation of a large workforce. ASAAN software made for issues relating to Agniveers has been put in place,” the source said.
India for the first time at the Army Day Parade held at Delhi Cantonment in January demonstrated its drone systems it has procured.
The Indian Army bought five drones in August 2019, 20 in October and 35 in December.
These drones carry out automated, randomised sonic missions to the target area through use of artificial intelligence and onboard adaptive computers driven by continuous satellite feeds. They have a mother drone and child drones attached to it.
The Indian Army carried out a live demonstration of Drone Swarming capability using 75 indigenously designed and developed drones which executed an array of Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled simulated offensive missions and close support tasks.
This demonstration is a recognition of the Indian Army’s steady embrace of emerging and disruptive technologies to transform itself from a manpower-intensive to a technology-enabled force to meet future security challenges.
These drones can fly deep into enemy territory.
The Indian Army is investing heavily into Artificial Intelligence (AI), Autonomous Weapon Systems, Quantum Technologies, Robotics, Cloud Computing and Algorithm Warfare in order to achieve a convergence between the Army’s warfighting philosophies and military attributes of these technologies.
The Indian Army has undertaken a wide array of technology initiatives in coordination with Dreamers, Startups, MSMEs, Private Sector, Academia, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs).
One such project is the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Offensive Drone Operations which has been incubated with an Indian Start Up. This project symbolises the beginning of the Indian Army’s tryst with autonomy in weapon platforms and showcases the Army’s commitment towards merging the cutting edge of digital technologies with its human resource.
These offensive drones are part of the capability development road map.
These combat drones shown during the demonstration carry out a series of autonomous tactical missions.
“Technology is in fact steadily emerging as critical core combat capability. Indian army in consequence is embracing enabling destructive technologies with unprecedented gusto,” said a senior Indian Army officer adding that the force is also focusing on self-reliance in technology.
These drones are with kinetic and non-kinetic capacity in execution of its mission. It is driven by deep technological collaboration and power of distributed intelligence in addition to without any human intervention.
Offensive defence operation signifies the beginning of Indian Army journey toward autonomy in weapon platforms as also the transition to digital proficiency combat.
“It also signifies deep commitment towards forging the wealth of human resources with cutting edge technological prowess,” the officer explained.
India in 2023 also procured a number of hi-tech weapons like robot mules to give it an edge in combat.
#WATCH | Multi-utility legged equipment (MULE) developed for the Indian Army showcased at the North Tech Symposium 2023 in Jammu pic.twitter.com/hxPn860H2a
— ANI (@ANI) September 13, 2023
Pande told Business Today the army is incorporating robotics for combat and combat vehicles as well as Robotic Process Automation (RPA).
“…the army has introduced remotely piloted aircraft systems, which serve for surveillance and range from nano to macro drones, covering distances of up to 120 kilometers. Additionally, logistics drones are being employed to deliver essential materials in war zones and other complex areas,” Pande said.
The Indian Army has also taken note of a number of cases over the past few years where its soldiers were ‘honey-trapped’ by the ISI and has developed a counter against it.
According to Eurasian Times, the Indian Army has also developed a chatbot to test its soldiers
The chatbot, which was designed by the Territorial Army, will operate via WhatsApp.
The outlet quoted an Indian Army as saying: “This AI bot converses with soldiers over WhatsApp (can also be moved to other channels of communication). It mimics various scenarios, and based on the response received from the soldiers, it continues the simulation.”
“The AI bot learns from itself, and new scenarios can be easily added for effective training,” the official added.
What do experts say?
That while India has made some good strides, it still has a long way to go.
As Professor Nishakant Ojha, advisor, cyber aerospace security and counter terrorism-West Asia -Middle East, told Financial Express everything that had been accomplished till now ‘is either really fundamental or extremely fundamental’ in terms of how AI may be used.
“The Indian Army intends to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) and improve its skills in the areas of information collecting and surveillance in order to better help commanders in making decisions,” Ojha said.
Ojha pointed out that though India has been using semi-autonomous systems for ‘quite some time.’
Ojha added that the the establishment’s investments in completely autonomous systems doesn’t even come close to matching America, Japan, Europe, or China.
The DPG echoed this sentiment in the DW piece.
.“This is a good initial step, but clearly inadequate compared to our primary strategic challenger, China, which is spending more than 30 times this amount. If we are not to fall behind the technology cycle, greater investments will have to be made, primarily to promote the indigenous industry players,” the DPG said.
Others, pointing to the surprise Hamas attack on Israel, pointed out the limits of AI.
“This is a hard lesson that must be learnt by us. Israeli surveillance and intelligence is amongst the most sophisticated. Yet they failed to detect the sneak attack and were not given any early warning signals,” Prasad said.
Lt General P R Kumar, a former Director General of Military Operations, backed up Prasad.
“When it comes to counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism measures, there are no black and white situations,” he told DW. “Electronic eavesdropping on communications or AI data cannot provide the cutting edge, especially when human activity is hard to interpret.”
“One can have innovative military capabilities but humans need to interpret and read this data to be useful,” he added.
Still others sounded a warning about the use of AI – particularly during crises.
The piece in South Asian Voices pointed out that the quick processing of data can also speed up decision making in such situations.
Though this is likely to make military operations quicker and more efficient, it also brings additional risks.
“…this speed also raises the likelihood of hasty decisions based on limited information, potentially leading to misinterpretations and increased tensions. Pakistan, in close geographical proximity to India and compact in size, perceives this as a significant threat. In situations where leaders feel compelled to act swiftly, the nuclear threshold may be reduced as a consequence of AI,” the piece argued.
It also contended that Autonomous Weapons Systems (AWS) exacerbate the risks of unintended nuclear escalation.
“Frequent skirmishes along the Line of Control (LoC) between India and Pakistan make AWS deployment there particularly concerning. AWS misinterpreting military activities could quickly escalate to a nuclear crisis,” the piece argued.
It also pointed out that AWS are susceptible to being hacked and thus called for all parties to take a cautious approach to keep things stable in the region.
Regardless, seeing how the Indian Army continues to integrate AI will make for fascinating viewing.
With inputs from agencies
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