According to the new doctrine, India will adopt an ‘active cyber defence’ policy, indicating that the previous defense strategy of raising firewall strength will be replaced by real-time counter attacks.
The recent India-Pakistan conflict and Operation Sindoor showcased the need for advanced cyber warfare capabilities, and now the Indian Army is developing the ability to launch offensive cyberspace operations against the enemy, alongside conventional warfare. This was revealed in the Joint Doctrines for Cyberspace Operations and Amphibious Operations on Thursday by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan.
As per the declassified documents released during the Chiefs of Staff Committee meeting in New Delhi, India will adopt an offensive strategy in cyber warfare, and respond with devastating cyber attacks if it senses an attack from the enemy.
What is India’s new cyber warfare doctrine?
According to the doctrine, India will adopt an ‘active cyber defence’ policy, indicating that the previous defense strategy of raising firewall strength will be replaced by real-time counter attack by the Indian Cyber Force, which is tasked with monitoring enemy cyber activities.
Upon sensing an attack, India’s cyber warriors will launch devastating counter attack, crippling the enemy’s radar, satellite, air defence system, navigation network and communication channels with a single click.
Additionally, India’s cyber warfare capability will not be restricted by a ‘no first use policy’, as the doctrine lays emphasis on ‘Proactive Defence with Pre-emptive Capabilities” in the cyber domain, which means even the smallest hint of an enemy attack would invite a swift retaliation from the Indian side.
How India’s Cyber Command is structured?
India’s Cyber Command has three levels– defensive, offensive and intelligence– and the new doctrine lays more emphasis on the offensive part, that involves crippling the enemy’s key military systems, such as the missile command, air traffic control, logistics supply chain and digital communication systems.
India has established a Unified Cyber Command where the tri-forces will launch coordinated cyber attacks on the enemy from land, sea, and sky.
Why India’s ‘digital Brahmastra’ is lethal for China and Pakistan?
Dubbed by experts as a ‘digital Brahmastra’, India’s new cyber warfare strategy will prove lethal for enemy nations like China and Pakistan in a war-like situation as the Indian cyber command will cripple their vital systems in a preemptive strike.
Both China and Pakistan have repeatedly used cyberattacks to target India’s military and civilian networks, but now the new policy will allow Indian cyber forces to respond to such attacks in a swift, silent, yet deadly manner.
