Army to 'Test Bed' Niche Technologies [UPSC Current Affairs]

In April 2023, the Indian Army decided to operationalize Command Cyber Operations and Support Wings (CCOSW) in order to absorb niche technologies and modernise its online networks. In the army commanders’ conference held in April ’23, the decision was taken to have dedicated cyber operations wings. In this article, you can read more about this development for the IAS exam defence and security segment.

Army Commanders’ Conference

• The apex-level conference is a biannual event held every year in the months of April and October and is an institutional platform for conceptual-level deliberations. 
• Important policy decisions for the Indian Army are made at the conference and in the conference, discussions range from strategic, training, human resource, and administrative aspects.

Cyber Operations:

• Cyber operations have assumed significance and it is considered important in both grey zone and conventional warfare.
• The cyber domain has become more competitive and contested due to the expansion of cyber warfare capabilities by adversaries of India.
• In order to meet the emerging challenges in the cyber domain the Indian Army is rapidly migrating towards net centricity which will result in increased use of communication systems at all levels.
• In this context, the Command Cyber Operations and Support Wings (CCOSW) is being raised in the army to protect the networks and increase preparedness levels in the cyber domain.
• These organizations will help to strengthen the cyber security posture of the Indian Army.
• A large number of niche technology-enabled equipment are being inducted into the army such as swarm drones, loitering weapon systems, and anti-drone equipment. 
• In order to ensure optimum utilization of the niche technologies across the army, lead directorates and ‘Test Bed’ formations will be nominated to propose deployment strategies.
• Another important decision was taken at the conference to address the officer shortage and make more officers available in the units by moving away from the existing 1+3+1 years Technical Entry Scheme (TES) model to the 3+1 model from January 2024 onwards.
• The procurement of 435 simulators is also planned at the cost of Rs 791 crore to improve simulator training.
• The meeting also discussed the progress made in the efficient implementation of the Agnipath scheme and to promote jointness and integration with other defense services and government agencies, the army also identified specific areas and actionable points.

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