Parrikar says future wars might take place in cyber world; warns Army against "information blackout"

NEW DELHI: Stating that the future wars might be fought in the cyberspace, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday warned the Army against "information blackout" as he sought enhanced capabilities to ensure protection from disruptive cyber attacks or manipulations.

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Parrikar also citied the example of the terrorist organization ISIS, which he said, was "one of the best user of internet technology" for promoting their cause.

The Defence Minister said a resurgent India will increasingly play a dominant role in the world affairs.

"The world that we as a nation will be interacting with is increasingly fraught with turbulence and will call for dominant military might. We need to develop technology and system appropriate to evolving military doctrine," Parrikar said addressing the DEFCOM seminar here organised by the Corps of Signal of the Indian Army and the CII.

He said that Information Technology (IT) has an important role to play because "future wars may be cyber wars".
Parrikar also said that the new Defence Procurement Procedure was at an "advanced stage", and he expects it to be in place in the near future.

He said the government's effort is to have as much as indigenisation as possible.

The minister, however, said that it cannot happen overnight because even with best efforts, only 10 per cent increase can be achieved.

Underlining that the government has been pushing very hard, he assured the industry and the armed forces that the government is focusing on Make in India.

"Our effort will be to depend on indigenously manufactured items because for a very rare eventuality in a war, you can really depend on your own resources," he said.