Defense: All Zones Aren’t Barbed

C4I2SR is the buzzword doing rounds in defense echelons these days. What does

it stand for? Well, command, control, communication and coordination are the

four Cs, information and interoperability are the two Is, surveillance is the S

and reconnaissance the R.

Indian defense forces–comprising the Indian Air Force, the Indian Army and

the Indian Navy–and their supporting wings, have been quietly modernizing

their communications networks. The driving philosophy is C4I2SR, and the

emphasis is on modernizing or building new networks for mission-critical

applications. The aim is to enhance the communications system and supporting the

army’s endeavor in gaining an edge in the electronic warfare and counter

systems. The defense forces also intend to deploy networks to run non-critical

applications like logistics and personnel management.

The telecom needs of defense forces are somewhat different due to the nature

of their responsibilities. These needs also vary from force to force. The navy

generally works on radio frequency while the needs of the army are land-based.

For quite some time, the army hired services from DoT. But since the service was

not reliable and also not available in the far-flung areas, the army

discontinued it in the late seventies and early eighties. Now Core of Signals is

like army’s BSNL–a captive service provider. But even though it has laid its

own share of fiber, in certain areas it still relies on DoT.

The army has its own tactical communication–a mix of microwave, coax, optic

fiber, and satellite communications. The network is state-of-the-art, and is

upgradable and scalable. In fact, the army deployed ATM switches much before

BSNL did. The Military College of Telecom Engineering, Mhow, Madhya Pradesh

provides state-of-the-art training to defense personnel. Air Force has its

institute in Bangalore while Navy has institutes in Jamnagar and Cochin.

Who’s Deploying What?

The Army Radio Engineering Network (AREN) and Army Static Communications

Network (ASCON) are being upgraded to the next-generation. These networks use

UH, optical fiber systems and satellites for communication.

The army has recently commissioned the Low Intensity Conflict Operations VSAT

(LICO-VSAT) system that offers direct voice and data connectivity to twenty

centers, including Kargil and Partapur (Siachen base camp) in Jammu and Kashmir,

and Bhuj in Gujarat. Twelve more centers are to be connected soon. The LICO-VSAT

system has built-in encryption. The communication capability of the army

received a boost recently with the launch of INSAT-3B, which has dedicated

Ku-band transponders for armed forces.

Field trials of Akash–a tactical battle for communications network–are

on. Among other things, a range of state-of-the-art radio equipment, including

STARS-V frequency-hopping units, are expected to be deployed soon. The older

sets will have speech-encryption modules attached to prevent interception. The

counter insurgency grids in the Kashmir valley and in the Northeast will receive

better real-time communication as well as new electronic warfare equipment.

According to Prashant Bakshi, researcher, Institute of Defence Studies and

Analyses, Indian Navy is in the process of networking hundreds of its units

comprising ships, shore establishments and support bases in a Navy

Enterprise-wide Network (NEWN). The NEWN will connect LANs within establishments

and MANs within the metros, ensuring seamless connectivity for the entire navy.

Also underway is Project Sanchar that links all communication centers, and

Project ODOC, which networks various maritime operation centers to the war room

at Delhi. "At another level, the navy has successfully networked its

support services by implementing integrated logistic management system (ILMS)

and works management system (WMS)," Bakshi says.

Indian Air Force also has a dedicated communications network for air defense,

known as the Air Defence Ground Environment System (ADGES). A network of radar

and communication links for providing surveillance to various air defense

elements, ADGES also interconnects the tactical air center headquarters, air

defence direction centres and wing headquarters. For logistics, the air force

has evolved integrated material management on-line system (IMMOLS). For its

administrative communication requirement, it has a dedicated distributed message

switching system (DMSS). This system can be exploited for add-ons like e-mail,

fax and video-conferencing.

Challenges and Gaps

Notwithstanding all this, the defense networks have their own set of

challenges. The most important challenge is the fact that even though large

portions of the defense communications infrastructure are robust, they are

growing old. And the transition to new has not been uniform across the spectrum.

Since the development and deployment of the communications infrastructure in

the three forces is generally targeted at exclusive intra-services’

requirement, less thought was given to achieve system integration and

interoperability. So, as forces began joint defense operations, interoperability

between the networks and compatibility between the different equipment of the

three services, and at times between the different units of the same service,

became a major challenge. The first major challenge in terms of interoperability

came during the IPKF operations in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, where the Indian army,

navy and the air force carried out a joint operation against the LTTE. Even

though the forces now have realized the need for interoperability, much more

needs to be done on this front.

Another area of challenge is the security of the networks and that of the

data traveling on them. While the forces have been doing everything to ensure

the safety of their networks, it’s a mammoth task, as networking has happened

in a haphazard manner. And as the forces get more and more networked, security

too will become more and more complicated.

Security considerations make defense forces wary of deploying foreign

technologies and equipment. Foreign technology, as one defense source pointed

out, is out of bounds for mission-critical applications because they are feared

to have hidden backdoors that can prove fatal in times of crisis.

Another grey area is the proprietary nature of many software and hardware

that the defense forces use. It is difficult to upgrade, customize or scale such

software or hardware due to their closed architecture. At the same time,

developing joint applications software and running them is a challenge.

Besides, training defense personnel in critical as well as non-critical

communications technologies poses a challenge. While the three forces do have a

road map for training (the navy, for instance, wants all its officers and

sailors to be computer-literate by 2002), effective manpower training remains a

tall order. "Things are being done casually in a patchwork manner,"

says an official.

Opportunity for Private Sector

The bulk of defense communications equipment have so far been outsourced from

defense PSUs. Bharat Electronic Ltd (BEL), for instance, manufactures many

telecom equipment, which are used for running mission-critical applications.

Private-sector participation is a recent phenomenon in terms of providing

infrastructure. Leasing bandwidth from them is also under consideration. But no

major job is being outsourced. Software needs are being looked after by DRDO and

other national-level organizations like the IITs, IISc, ISRO and Centre of

Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. Critical needs like security software,

etc, are being developed in-house. The major demand for private sector exists in

providing communications support for the defense forces’ logistics and

personnel management. For example, Tata Infotech has deployed a WAN for the navy

and Tata Elexis has built small localized networks. "As far as unclassified

traffic and non-critical applications are concerned, defense forces have no

problem in outsourcing them from the private sector," a senior defense

official points out. But as far as mission-critical applications are concerned,

there is a clear no to dependence on the private sector.

Commercially-available technology too is not being used for running

mission-critical applications.

The defense establishment is expecting the private sector to develop

applications software so that its dependence on the commercially-available

hardware from outside the country is minimized. It is also looking at

indigenously developed embedded systems. And is open to partnerships with

private firms in these areas.

Defense sources say they will always prefer indigenous hardware and software.

"There is no alternative to indigenous technologies," says one

official associated with a defense think tank, complaining that private vendors

have not been responsive in this regard.

Indian defense forces have made big strides in the use and deployment of

communication technologies, and have been quick to realize the importance of

networking. But there has been a heavy dependence on in-house research and

development and on select PSUs like BEL. A rapid deployment of state-of-the-art

networks, however, demands that fruitful links with the private sector become a

norm rather than an aberration.

Ravi Shekhar Pandey