White Paper indicates PLA is on a different trajectory altogether
Pravin Sawhney
Strategic affairs expert
China’s recently released White Paper on defence did not get the attention it should have in India. In our obsession with Pakistan, it is forgotten that China is the neighbour we need to worry about.
China claims 90,000 sq km of Arunachal Pradesh, does not accept the border with India in Ladakh and has achieved military interoperability with Pakistan. Except for India and Bhutan, all nations in South Asia have joined the OBOR project. Post-Doklam, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) presence in Tibet Autonomous Region has increased substantially. In June 2018, Chinese President Xi Jinping told the visiting US defence secretary, James Mattis, that China would not lose an inch of its territory handed to them by their ancestors.
The paper underlines four peculiarities of PLA’s changing warfare. The first is its exceptional spectrum (short for electromagnetic spectrum, EMS) warfare capability, where by blinding India’s military assets, the PLA could end the war before it is joined, hence winning without fighting. This non-kinetic warfare will be in cyberspace, in which high-grade malware (malicious software) is injected into the spectrum that connects the target engagement cycle comprising satellites, airborne sensors, command centres, missiles and other interceptors through data-links. All modern weapons — airplanes, tanks, satellites, ships, radio — depend on the spectrum to function. By pushing malware into data-links, military assets are blanked, disrupted or debilitated. The war, then, is as good as over.
The Indian military is not prepared for PLA’s cyber offensive, central to its operational strategy. The PLA has consolidated its space, cyber, electronic warfare and psychological warfare assets under the unique Strategic Support Force, which ‘has made active efforts to integrate into the joint operations system. It has carried out confrontational training’.
The second unmatched peculiarity is the PLA Rocket Force, which has under it all nuclear and conventional ballistic, cruise, and soon to be acquired hypersonic missiles. The force ‘has organised force-on-force evaluation-oriented training and training based on operational plans at brigade and regiment level, strengthening training for joint strikes’. The PLA will use its plethora of missiles by itself and to supplement (not as substitute) its air force. India cannot meet this challenge because it has limited numbers, and the PLA with its indigenous and automated production lines can deliver unending salvos of smart, long-range and precise missiles.
The third PLA peculiarity is its mission ‘to safeguard China’s oversea interests’ to include its infrastructure and people. The PLA’s presence would continue to increase in nations which have accepted OBOR. This is being done by the office of international military cooperation, raised during the 2015 reforms, which reports to the Central Military Commission headed by Jinping. Regular interaction between the PLA and militaries of OBOR nations would lead to better understanding of Chinese arms exports and interoperability, and possibilities of PLA air and naval bases or ‘support bases’ there.
The underplayed Digital Silk Road with vast security implications would increase its footprints alongside OBOR’s growing presence. China is building fibre optics cables, mobile structures for installing Huawei 5G wireless technology to introduce common technical standards in these nations. The militaries of these nations would soon be connected to Chinese BeiDou navigation satellite system for e-commerce and military needs.
With the launch of the world’s first intercontinental quantum satellite called Micius in 2016, China has demonstrated long distance cryptography service for secure communications which can’t be hacked. It is expanding quantum communications infrastructure; quantum radar and sensing which would defeat stealth technologies; and quantum compass for submarines.
The fourth peculiarity is ‘the application of cutting-edge technologies such as AI, quantum information, big data, cloud computing and the Internet of things is gathering pace in the military field’. These technologies will shift warfare to virtual battlefields. For example, today a smart cruise missile should be more than ‘fire and forget’ semi-autonomous weapon. It should also have assured data-linking with rear for continuous instructions till desired target is hit. An AI-driven intelligent cruise missile need not have data-linking which is vulnerable to cyberattack. It will do the entire engagement cycle on its own.
In terms of revolutions in warfare, AI-driven warfare where China, if not competing, is giving a run for its money to the US, is the consequence of the fourth revolution. The earlier revolutions were wrought by the steam engine, the age of science, and the rise of digital technology. Since doctrines follow technology, China has taken lead in developing disruptive thinking in warfare to optimally exploit AI. The new military strategic and doctrinal thinking would have little or no resemblance with present warfare.
China wants to complete the modernisation process by 2035, and fully transform the armed forces into world-class forces by the mid-21st century. This means the PLA would achieve human-machine (robot) fusion by 2035, and with the arrival of quantum computers, it would have machines more intelligent than humans.
The Indian military is still entering the digital age. In multi-domain warfare, all domains like air force, army and navy are mere tactical units much like cyber, space, and electronic warfare. Thus, when services’ chiefs say that their service, on its own, is ready for all contingencies, they are talking of fighting the last war, not the next one.
The Government advised by the Civil Service manning the MoD and aided by the Military Bureaucracy duty bound to obey due to the strict discipline code, seems to embark on a dangerous course of action.
The ECHS when merged with Ayushman Bharat will have two possible implications:
First: The scarce budget of the Veterans will be gobbled by the general patients leaving the Veteran patients sucking their thumbs. While today a few reputed hospitals are opting for de- panelling, in post Ayushman Bharat era , most reputed hospitals will be out of reach of Veterans.
Second: the quality of the treatment and patient care would fall so drastically that every Veteran would be forced to pay for his treatment in a reputed non empaneled hospital. This will create such dissatisfaction about the post retirement Medical Care of Veterans leading to possible poor morale among the serving soldiers as most of the Veteran are theirvclose kin and such burden of medical bills would fall on the heads of serving personnel.
By purpose or unwittingly, is there a campaign to change the way the Armed Forces live, administer themselves and look after the Veteran. Let the Political, Bureaucratic and Military leaders understand that the way that the Military lived, administered its serving and retired personnel ensured that the Armed Forces remained apolitical, professional and loyal to the country. Any whole sale change in these aspects can have far reaching consequences for the country, Government and the Armed Forces.
Why is there a fund crunch for ex servicemen? Reduce the salaries of all MP’s, MLA’s to 1/4 of their existing salaries, remove all their perks, security , no increase in their salaries. Stop pension for all who have not completed minimum 20 years. No Government vehicles to transport them, the Government will never be have any shortage of funds.
Also get the unaccounted money parked abroad, there’s plenty of funds.
It’s a challenge for the Government & not remove all entitlements agreed at the time of recruitment. A written promise committed by the Government in the form of advertisement can be challenged in the court of law. They can no longer take us for granted.
Why a scheme like ECH purely meant for Armed Forces should be merged with any other scheme,90%of soldiers after retirement suffer from serious health problems which are result of serving in extreme adverse physical and psychological conditions which adversely effect physical and mental health.There is no comparision to such conditions with civilian counter parts.So taking away the only post retirement health care scheme from soldiers who served the nation with utmost loyalty is grave injustice,it is already starving of funds inspite of one time contribution paid by retiring Sainiks.It is high time the serving Generals should take care of veterans and not submit to undue demands from politicians who act on mis guided and distorted information fed by bureaucracy.I give my own example,within six months of retirement i developed back ach,my hyper tension disease detected one and half year before retirement not granted any disability pension,because detected in peace station without giving due consideration to prior servicr done in Counter insugency operations and field areas.
Before government goes ahead with this merger etc it must take into account the impact on already crumbling ECHS. Costly and important medicines prescribed for cardiac care critical kidney disease etc are already in short supply for want of funds. Overloading of the system will bring in further resentment from the veterans and lower morale of the serving.
Needs a relook and bit of spine where top brass is concerned,
Politicians get free treatment abroad leave alone within the country…ample cases can be cited, similarly bureaucrats also enjoy almost similar privileges! Let them first opt for PMJAY! And set an example before eying already burdened & struggling ECHS!
Just see what treatment is given to our enimy solders and compare it with ECHS. Why should a soldier fight if he or his family not given the health care promised by Govt at the time of joining the force. There has been too much detetioration since the Chiefs do not speak up. Time has come that the soldiers will question ability of our officers to command. That will be sad day for the Nation. Our burocracy and politicians have done so much of damage to the forces. It is already too late even they realize it
God bless the Indian Army.JaiHind
Brig JD Sapatnrkar(Veteran)
Looking as though the country doesn’t want the Armed forces, let everyone become an ordinary civilian. Maybe it’s in the best interest of the politicians. But for the country, …. I suppose it’s
WHO CARES.
Most appropriate heading.What else is expected of a govt run by Beurocrates.The govt with a difference & vision here sees only the benifits it will gather by merging in the PM’s pet project a copy of Barack health scheme.However they donot realise that though the scheme is for ESM, yet it affects the services.Such shortsitedness will affect the rectt in the services & those who are serving & retire early will find it a big shock, thus affecting moral.If it has to merge what about additional load sharing resources.Then the excusiveness for services will diappear which have added advantage of most of doctors are Brothers in arms.The additional Health centres which come up due this scheme will have differant working ethos.I appeal to all ESM that they should unite & represent to govt.to stop such a merger & reinfuse new energy in the present scheme.Ifor one favour reforms.In any social scheme people do exploit lacunas, but it is also prudent that course correction must be done at regular intervals.