'Steps afoot to make armed forces net-centric'

"The Corps of Signal is making a comprehensive reappraisal of its information infrastructure by upgrading and building resilient and homogenous strategic and technical communication networks to transform the Indian armed forces into net-centric warriors," said Lt.Gen. P. Mohapatra, the army's signal officer-in-chief.

Mohapatra was addressing a curtain raiser ceremony ahead of the Dec 2-3 DEFCOM 2010, a defence communication seminar being organized by Corps of Signals and Confederation of Indian Industry.

The identification of military trends in communication technology will be high on the agenda of the two-day seminar.Mohapatra also released the brochure for the seminar.
He said communication played a crucial role in creating real time situational awareness and influencing tactical and operational situations.

"With technology as the core, multi-pronged transformation has also impacted military strategy and doctrines," he said.

"This transformation of the forces, driven by a resilient communication network and infrastructure has ushered in an era of net centricity which has emerged as a crucial component of the national security apparatus."

Mohapatra said the emerging technologies convert information superiority into operational advantages through networking and information sharing and stressed on ensuring "interoperability among weapons from different generations".

Noting that the future soldier would be networked in the sensor-to-shooter loop, he said the armed forces had already issued an "expression of intent (EOI) for a tactical communication system (TCS) to defence public sector undertakings and the private industry for their participation in its development".

This provides an "unparalleled opportunity to Indian defence industry like never before", Mohapatra added. "The Indian industry has to actively and constructively engage itself to help, guide and further progress the network centric transformation and play a pivotal role in its realization," he said.

CII Director General Chanderjit Banerjee and other officials from defence and Indian industry attended the curtain raiser ceremony. Banerjee expressed confidence that Indian industry would work collectively with single focus and deliver a state-of-the-art project Tata Consultancy Services is working on for the Indian Army, through inhouse design, development and manufacturing.