BENGALURU: “Electronic warfare is no longer the shield, but the sword,” Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CIDS), said on Tuesday, underscoring the central role electronic warfare now plays in modern military operations.
He was speaking at the seventh edition of the International Conference on Electronic Warfare held at the Indian Institute of Science, where he highlighted how electronic warfare has moved to centre stage in defence forces across the world.
Union Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, who was the chief guest at the inauguration, joined the three-day event virtually. In his address, Seth said electronic warfare had become indispensable in contemporary battlefields, with threats in the electronic domain evolving rapidly.
“Electronic warfare has emerged as a necessary force in the contemporary battlefield. The nature of threats in the electronic domain evolves rapidly with increased usage. I commend the Defence Research and Development Organisation for its sustained support towards India’s indigenous electronic capabilities. Its laboratories have been of significant help,” he said.
Participants from countries including the United States, Canada, Italy, France, Germany and the United Kingdom are attending the conference, along with representatives from 48 electronic warfare organisations.
Citing Operation Sindoor as a key example, Dixit said the effectiveness of electronic warfare had been clearly demonstrated during the operation. “We blinded the enemy’s air defence systems via the electromagnetic spectrum. The lesson is clear — we prevailed not because we had better missiles, but because we had a better nervous system,” he said.
Dixit also stressed the need for India to emerge as a full-fledged manufacturing hub for electronic warfare systems. While noting that existing systems are secure, he pointed out India’s continued dependence on foreign supply chains for semiconductors and critical components.
“To truly establish India as a stronghold of electronic warfare, organisations such as DRDO, MSMEs, academia and industry must work together. Universities should also include electronic warfare as part of their core curricula,” he said.