Army Chief of Staff outlines AI plan to improve force mobility and protection

Chief of Army Staff Manoj Pande said the Army is working on projects such as robotic surveillance platforms.

New Delhi:

The Indian Army is developing a roadmap for artificial intelligence in consultation with subject matter experts to improve its “mobility and protection capabilities,” Chief of Army Staff Chief Manoj Pande told New Delhi TV’s first defense summit on Thursday. Natural language processing, facial recognition, vehicle tracking, satellite image analysis and other autonomous systems are among several AI projects currently underway, he said.

“A three-service program is underway to develop a high-performance computing AI cloud. We are consulting with subject matter experts to prepare an AI roadmap that will play out over the next 20 to 25 years,” the Army chief said.

The Army is also developing projects such as robotic surveillance platforms, autonomous combat vehicles and manned and unmanned cleaning solutions, he said. “We are also exploring 5G communications and its applications in training and operations,” he added.

The Army Chief claimed that modernization and technology infusion, standing atop the edifice of ‘aatmanirbharta’, form one of the “pillars of our ongoing transformation roadmap in the Indian Army”.

“Battlefield situational awareness is being enhanced or enhanced through border surveillance systems and a range of surveillance drones for target acquisition and precision firing. We have swarm drones and new artillery platforms. With small arms and night sights, we “Night combat capabilities have been enhanced.” Handheld thermal image. With the introduction of software-defined video, we are moving to soldier-level communications efficiency. We also deploy terrain-specific electronic warfare systems, drones and counter-drone systems. Logistics capabilities and efficiencies are being enhanced through the use or introduction of logistics drones,” he said.

However, while talking about the infusion of technology and advanced weapons systems in the Army, he also emphasized the need to find the right balance between older, current and state-of-the-art systems.

“Modernizing or replacing all legacy platforms at once is neither feasible nor desirable. We intend to expand the ratio of legacy equipment to current equipment to state-of-the-art equipment and we intend to achieve this significantly by 2030 with a focus on ‘aatmanirbharta ‘Capability Development Roadmap,'” he said.