Who hacks, wins — Army gets ready for future wars

“Computers,” says, MITSD commandant Maj Gen S.T. Manimala, “is a major source of information leakage.” So in a connected world what better way to hunt for information than in cyber space. Hack into the enemy’s systems and glean intelligence that will win the day. “Acquisition and counter intelligence will be our thrust areas,” he adds.

For long, the Army has been coming around to the idea of getting into the info-savvy act. Military institutions across the country had been looking at computers and networking as the next big step in their evolution. Then came the Computer Based Training (CBT) modules to make training for war a cheaper option.

But on the blink side, the Pakistanis were going one up in the anti-India diatribe. As Indian websites came under fire through a group of hackers in true Jehadi style, Indian engineers battled with defensive firewalls. But what was a fairly eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation for fun will now change given some serious rethinking on future information war in the Indian sub-continent.

“We realised that not only would this be a major area of specialisation, but also a threat to our plans in future war scenarios,” says an officer. As the Indian army establishment goes in for more networking there, these threats become real. “Wars are going hi-tech and we have to be ready.”

While the army headquarters is getting ready to finalise its plans for the new course, the MITSD doesn’t mind shopping for talent outside. “We have our specialists but then, being in the Army they cannot be posted at the same place for a prolonged period,” says Maj Gen Manimala. So in come the civilian experts who will lend their might to the byte.

In the shadow of the nuclear umbrella this move gets a new meaning. Networked computers, besides facilitating state-of-the-art processing and time crunching, offer multi-tire back ups. Hacking in could paralyse and prove the critical mass to the whole exercise. A scenario that translates into acquiring twin capabilities — offense and defence. Although the course will only concentrate on gathering intelligence or countering a cyber probe, it facilitates the training ground for similar defences.

Already going on for a major revamp in its golden jubilee year, MITSD last month saw presentations on the proposed curriculum. A few more are expected keeping in mind the points mentioned by the Subramanyam committee in the aftermath of the Kargil war.

With Gen S. Padmanabhan in the seat, intelligence is a priority area. Moreover, the “chief is a former director general of military intelligence,” says an officer. If things are to “happen, they will happen in his tenure.”