NEW DELHI: The Vice Chief of Army Staff on Saturday highlighted the ‘lack of indigenous solutions’ in producing cold-weather equipment for jawans.
The Vice Chief of the Amy Staff Lt Gen SK Saini was speaking at Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS) organised a webinar on the subject “Force Protection India 2020”.
Lt Gen SK Saini said, "Special Clothing and Mountaineering Equipment is another aspect which needs to be highlighted. A large number of our troops are deployed in Super High Altitude Areas where the temperature touches - 50 Degrees Celsius. However, we are still importing cold-weather equipment, mainly due to the lack of viable indigenous solutions. A collaborative effort needs to be put in this field to fulfil our vision of “Atmanirbhar Bharat”.
The objective of the Webinar was to get the Defence Forces, Indian Industry, Scientists and Entrepreneurs onto a common platform in order to understand the requirements of the Defence Forces for Force Protection and help find solutions to it.
He said Force Protection simply means protection of all military assets ranging from the physical security of a soldier to protection of critical and sensitive military assets and infrastructure against wide-ranging threats. "Use of helmets, body armour and fortifications are all testimony to this fact.”
The VCOAS reiterated that the character of warfare is undergoing a rapid change. The lethality and intensity powered by the latest technologies, the blurring of lines between friends and foes, combatants and civilians - makes it imperative for militaries to adapt to safeguard themselves and succeed in operations. Force Protection, therefore, needs to be addressed with a fresh approach.
The personnel protection remains the primary element of Force Protection, Saini said, “The Indian Army has evolved considerably in terms of modern arms, ammunition, protection, kitting and clothing. However, there is still much scope for innovation. There is a requirement to focus on night-vision goggles, combat helmets, bulletproof jackets, light portable communication sets and many more".
"Therefore, we must look beyond the mundane and actually work on fully networked bodies of troops carrying out operations in all types of weather and all-terrain". “Though the industry has stepped up to the challenge, the solutions provided, however, lack innovation and integration. The effort in this field must be to ensure a reduction in manpower commitment by integrating physical and electronic surveillance and incorporating automation and innovation in Perimeter Fencing, Intrusion Detection Systems etc".
Improvised Explosive Devices are gaining traction as a favoured tool for Terrorists and Anti National Elements. “A combination of robotics, artificial intelligence and Big Data Analysis could provide a possible answer".
"Amongst other threats, drones and UAVs stand out in their innovative employment and destructive potential. Considering their low cost, multi-use and dense proliferation, the threat will no doubt increase manifold in the years to come. In this context, third dimension threats may take precedence in the near future, for which we need to plan now. Both hard kill and soft kill counter-drone solutions including swarm technology are the need of the hour".
Our deployment footprint extends across the length and breadth of the country and across varying terrains. The sheer magnitude of our requirements presents a golden opportunity to the industry, scientists and entrepreneurs".