Technology can’t substitute soldiers on ground: CDS
Amid the rapidly changing nature of warfare, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Wednesday said technology was an enabler, but there was no substitute for trained soldiers on the ground.
The CDS added, “India needs more technology, and at a faster rate. We cannot afford a ‘tech-gap’ between us and the adversary.”
He was speaking at the Raisina Dialogue during the session ‘Verses and Wars: Navigating Hybrid Theatres’. He was joined by former Chief of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) David Petraeus and Vivek Lall, Chief Executive of General Atomics Global Corporation.
Gen Chauhan said technology was reshaping the battlefield, adding that the biggest challenge was training for both conventional and hybrid warfare. He cited disinformation as a significant threat, particularly in India, given its multi-religious and multi-ethnic society. He emphasised that absorbing technology and training personnel to use it effectively remained a key challenge.
Former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Chief David Petraeus highlighted how Ukraine had produced 1.5 million Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones, using them to sink the Russian Navy’s fleet in the Black Sea. He noted that Ukraine was also employing remotely controlled vehicles for logistics and supplies.
“We need to learn quickly from Ukraine as we are witnessing real hybrid warfare,” Petraeus said. “We see World War I-style trenches, Cold War-era equipment and deployments and modern UAVs all on the same battlefield,” he added.
Vivek Lall, whose company General Atomics has been selected to supply MQ-9B (Predator) drones to India, proposed a multi-point action plan. He underscored the need for persistent surveillance and robust data sharing within organisations. Lall also stressed the importance of electromagnetic dominance, which, he said, could provide a real-time operational picture.
Countermeasures, he noted, must focus on mass deployment of systems such as loitering munitions and ensuring logistical superiority.
The panel also included Maggie Sprenger, Co-Founder and General Partner at Audere Capital US, and Pavlina Pavlova, Fellow at New America, US.
