India will soon become a service provider for other countries: CDS Chauhan
File photo of Chief of Defense Staff, Lieutenant General Lieutenant General (Retired) Anil Chauhan
Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Thursday said the day is not far when India will emerge as one of the world’s leading service providers.
Speaking at the Indian Defspace Symposium 2024, General Chauhan said that space is called the last frontier.
“India is the recipient of services in the space sector, in addition to the data related to space situational awareness. I believe the day is not far when India will become a net provider of services to other countries,” he said.
“Space is called a final frontier. All other boundaries are difficult to define. Space is also called avoiding the domain of warfare. I believe there is already an established domain of warfare. My belief is based on the rapid The rapid development taking place in this particular terrain, the history of warfare has taught us that in every war the first battle usually takes place in a new terrain,” General Chauhan added.
Furthermore, the CDS said that activities in space are now controlled from land, making it an interesting phenomenon.
“The new domain also affects the warring older domains. I believe that law has space and influence in the air, maritime and land domains. However, they have a difference in the traditional domains of warfare, such as peace and competence. Currently ‘Activities in space are controlled from land. This makes space an interesting phenomenon. It is uncharted territory, the concepts of combat still need to evolve and mature,” he said.
General Chauhan also highlighted that the country has promising startups in the defense and space sectors, which was unthinkable a few years ago.
“We have a number of promising startups doing excellent work in the field of defense and space, which was unthinkable a few years ago. I see that there is plenty of room for everyone to grow. I wish all startups in the space domain to become unicorns and to flourish as global partners in the times to come,” he said.
He also said that the various services and the Defense Ministry should work closely with the Indian space industry to identify facilities required for testing, validation and certification of products.
“I call on DRDO to work closely with the ideas startup community in collaboration with the Indian space industry to develop breakthrough solutions to help narrow our technology gap. “We must also ensure interoperability with current and future equipment capacity building in terms of both subject matter experts and consultants and creating a technology-competent workforce so that we are prepared for transformation, which will be inescapable,” he added.
The Indian DefSpace Symposium 2024 is a premier event showcasing the latest developments in the space industry. The three-day event starting today is aimed at exploring cutting-edge technologies from leading aerospace companies to showcase domestic defense space capabilities and cutting-edge homegrown technologies.
It is a dynamic forum designed to boost India’s military space capabilities and plans. It brings together diverse experts from different domains to explore the latest trends and challenges in the defense space, network and collaborate with key stakeholders from the defense sector, DRDO, government agencies and industry professionals.
Key areas of focus include strengthening space domain awareness and satellite communications – Strengthening military operations with robust situational awareness and reliable communications networks; Unlocking financing and partnerships – Navigating the financial landscape and forging strategic international partnerships to drive space ambitions and developing a unified defense space strategy – Aligning military space ambitions with the National Space Strategy for a coherent and impactful approach.
The symposium covers a wide range of topics including an overview of government expenditure on defense space around the world, institutional evolution and modernization of defense institutions from a space perspective, procurement and exposure of defense space demand to local industry, key technologies emerging to Make a Difference for Defense Space, and Lessons and Implications of Space Force Deployment.
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First print: April 18, 2024 | 12:51 pm IST