“Wars have become dirty. With thousands of innocent civilians killed in a horrific manner and being shrugged off as ‘collateral damage’, the world has become immune to tragedy…,” says Vikram Sood, ex-R&WA chief, in ‘The Ultimate Goal’.
The biggest lesson of Operation Sindoor is that the Indian Armed Forces must restructure themselves to the needs of technologically governed War Zones with ‘No Fronts’ and ‘No Rears’. There is an essential need to make the armed forces technically smart and also of smart soldiers. It might not be in the immediate future, but the work must begin now. Swarm weapons; DEWs (Direct Energy weapons); loitering munitions, EYES in the SKY; Drones on the rampage in the modern battlefields; and Missiles with deadly lethality, range and accuracy have turned the old war-making concept upset down. And one obvious result is the need for LATA (LEAN AND THIN ARMY). Indications of this came to the fore when Saddam Hussain’s manpower-heavy Iraq Army collapsed in 60 hours in the Second Gulf War in 2003.
Ever since the Gulf Wars, analysts have been talking about cutting out the flab of armed forces and restructuring them with Smart Soldiers and Smart Weapons. Wars are no longer fought with ‘brawn’ but with ‘brain’. It is an era of ‘Brain Force Wars’ as against the hitherto known ‘Brute Force Wars’, which were dominated by manpower-heavy armed forces. Quality has replaced quantity. “Dud soldiers and dud ammunition” have no place in the wars of the 21st Century. It is because of technologically driven RMAs (Revolutions in Military Affairs) in three main disciplines, namely Range, Accuracy and Lethality. What’s more the category of soldiers varies from ‘uniformed’ to ‘non-uniformed technocrats’.
Operation Sindoor has further shown that technology has changed the very fundamentals of war-making. War doctrines and tactics are reshaping themselves. Advanced and smart weapons are adding new dimensions every day. Armies no more need their dud soldiers ‘monkey dancing’ across the borders and battlefields. Kamikaze Drones; Hyper, continental and ballistic Missiles; as well as Swarm munitions were available to hit out at rivals – even the ‘Irregular Soldiers’ or ‘non-state actors’ in forests, mountains and urban jungles of concrete.
Today, swarm weapons; Direct Energy Weapons (DEWs); loitering munitions, EYES in the SKY; drones on the rampage in the modern battlefields; and missiles with deadly lethality, range and accuracy have turned the old war-making concept upset down
The extensive reach and accuracy of modern weapon systems ensure that Battle Zones of modern wars have no ‘Fronts’ and ‘Rears’. Hostile actions are no longer confined to rival borders – they now cut across the hinterland of the enemy. With the ‘EYES in the SKY’ through satellites, enemy actions can be detected and effectively countered by LASER Designators; hand-held UAVs/ Drones and SWARM Bullets/ bombs. The targets can be destroyed without soldiers getting into combat zones. Accordingly, technology has affected the primary mode of carrying out tasks by different wings of armed forces.
Classic roles of the Air Force, such as Interdiction, Dog Fights, strategic bombing and Close Air support have lost their relevance in the wake of BVR (Beyond Visual Range) weapon systems. These ‘Standoff’ weapon systems not only have great ranges but boast of computerised accuracy and deadly lethality. Air Force has to consider the use of BVR/Stand-off weapon systems and their effect on Air battles.
This is also applicable to land battles. War has now entered an era of ‘No Physical Contacts’ of soldiers. Wars are more and more becoming ‘TECH Heavy’. They are fought by SMART SOLDIERS with SMART WEAPONS. Army has to reorient itself for roles within its own frontiers against the ‘internal enemy’, while maintaining a capability to deal with developments around borders. The use of UGS (under ground sensors), radars, satellites and even border fencing become very important. This is ‘Trip Wire Tactics’ to prevent any surprise move by the enemy. This also validates India’s Cold Start Doctrine (CSD) to checkmate Pakistan.
Operation Sindoor authenticated and validated that the primary objective of the war was not the annexation of territory but the total annihilation of the targeted enemy. Thus, fire assaults, both in the depth and immediate vicinity of enemy border defences, get importance. It, undoubtedly demands accurate information about the target. Indian air strikes on nine terrorist hubs on May 7 were pinpointed and they had achieved the desired purpose of eliminating over 100-170 terrorists at these nine locations. Again, accurate strikes at 11 airbases on May 10, led to the Pakistan Army’s DGMO requesting for a ceasefire. It was an indication of the effectiveness of the ‘kill’.
Indian air strikes on nine terrorist hubs on May 7 were pinpointed and they achieved the desired purpose of eliminating over 100-170 terrorists at these locations. Again, accurate strikes at 11 airbases on May 10, led to the Pakistan Army’s DGMO requesting for a ceasefire. It was an indication of the effectiveness of the ‘kill’
Techno-smart wars, thus, demand total synchronisation, integration and coordination of all apparatuses of war-making. Its obvious signatures are:
1. No ‘Monkey Dancing’ by soldiers and battle tanks across the land borders. In other words, wars are designed to annihilate your adversary totally without engaging in a physical battle. Non-kinetic means may be more beneficial than kinetic efforts. This aims at making the adversary collapse in the shortest possible time. This calls for ‘Designing’ a short and swift conflict. Armed forces need restructuring to suit these ‘Designer wars’ which are impactful and which put to use all kinetic and non-kinetic means to achieve ‘designed and desired results’. They have affected some principles of war as under:
(a) One of the first casualties of the principles of the Brute Force war is ‘Concentration of Force’. It now seeks ‘dispersion’ of war-making assets. However, it is desirable to retain the capability to quickly re-assemble the ‘de-mated’ components at short notice.
(b) Selection of Aim ought to be progressive – it must graduate on the escalation ladder. Military and Political objectives must gel with each other.
(c) To switch from ‘dispersion’ to a ‘mailed fist’, the mental and physical mobility of a war-making machine attains utmost importance.
2. Air war has been affected due to BVR and DEW (Direct Energy Weapons such as Laser Killer) systems. The manoeuvrability of manned aircraft in the air has been curtailed. Air warfare has, therefore, undergone a drastic change. Drones, missiles, DEWs, A-SAT killers, and loitering munitions have entirely changed air warfare. “Space Denial and Domination” would be Air Force priority with A2/ AD (Anti Air/ Air Defence) and A-SAT killers.
3. I may add that in the interregnum period, the focus of war would be on the SAS (Space and Seas). Therefore, the Navy must become a dominant arm for Techno Smart wars. The Navy is the best instrument of power projection. It not only protects our economic interests in the Indian Ocean but also counters enemy domination of our coastal areas, including the strategically located Andaman & Nicobar group of islands. In the current scenario, our aim should be to emphasise ‘sea denial’ rather than ‘sea domination’. The role of submarines, nuclear powered, if possible, than Aircraft carriers, is of utmost significance.
4. The role of AI (Artificial Intelligence), robotics, cyber warfare and real-time communications become more important in a modern war. Cyber warfare allows you to infect enemy electronic measures and carry out your own countermeasures. Cyber warfare and AI help in evolving Deception plans. They have to be cleverly made to mislead and divert enemy attention. Satellites are not only force multipliers for watch and surveillance duties but also assist in target acquisition and terminal guidance of your drones, loitering munitions and missiles.
Techno-smart wars will have no geographical limitations. Targets will not be only men and equipment in ‘Olive Green’ but the entire war-making potential of the adversary, from civilians to industrial and economic hubs. The Combat Zone will include a warring nation or a whole group of nations engaged in military conflict
In conclusion, I would say that future military conflicts are going to be techno-smart face-offs, of ‘Lean and Thin Armies’ (LATA) with ‘Super Smart Soldiers’, remotely handling ‘Super Smart Weapons’ of much greater range with precision-guided accuracy exhibiting a deadly lethality. It will lead to these ‘Techno-Smart Soldiers’, carrying out their tasks far away from the actual scene of physical objectives.
Such Techno-Smart wars would have no geographical limitations. Targets would not be only men and equipment in ‘Olive Green’ but the entire war-making potential of your adversary, from unarmed civilians to industrial and economic hubs. The definition of a Combat Zone will include a warring nation or a whole group of nations engaged in military conflict.
The final aim of any such ‘designer conflict’ would be to focus on the enemy’s war-making potential from weapons to infrastructures. Extensive use of kinetic and non-kinetic means would aim at demolishing the enemy’s capacity to continue the war. The faster it was done, the better it would be. Each move would seek definite and a well-defined objective. Aimless ‘land mapping’ would forgo in favour of ‘kills’ of war machines. Opening salvo should be massive, sudden and shocking to compel the enemy war machine to collapse beyond immediate repair or reconstruction. The decisive result is the name of the game in 21st Century wars.
-An ex-NDA and Wellington Staff College graduate, Col Rajinder Singh is a renowned author and security analyst. He has authored four books, two individually and two in collaboration. His best-selling books are Kashmir – A Different Perspective and The ULFA Insurgency. The views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
