While addressing a roundtable conference of more than 80 nations, India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, commented on how the country’s armed forces need to be equipped with technologies such as blockchain, AI and big data to counter the continuously changing landscape of modern warfare.
Singh elaborated on how the future of security is dependent on digitalization, and that modern warfare is not limited to land or sea. It is now entering the cyberspace too and in order to repel any threats to India’s cyberspace, it is imperative that the armed forces are ready in this domain as well.
He went on to say how the technology is to be used to prepare or repel “threats from multiple sources,” all the while having the ability to also engage in counterattack, if needed.
While talking to the gathering, Singh remarked how technologies such as blockchain and AI are already changing the existing landscape of warfare and how India’s defense industry is “undergoing a churning to cope and employ these technologies, in order to safeguard the safety and security of critical infrastructure.”
The conference was aimed towards introducing to the participants – which included high commissioners and ambassadors – the upcoming DefExpo 2020. Planned to be held in Lucknow, DefExpo is India’s annual defense exposition. The event is expected to house 100+ business events with 1000+ exhibitions.
Blockchain for Warfare
India is not the first country that has expressed willingness to use blockchain in warfare. Back in July, the US Department of Defense listed down multiple ways that it was looking at to help with country’s digital defense, and also specified how blockchain can be used for communication and monitoring. Blockchain is expected to be used for communication between intelligence officers and Pentagon, as the technology is still under development.
In the past, India has shown interest in investing in blockchain technology in other areas too. Back in 2017, India’s Central Bank (RBI) showed interest in developing a digital rupee. Sudarshan Sen, the RBI’s executive director, commented how the technology is still under development, saying, “right now, we have a group of people who are looking at fiat cryptocurrencies. Something that is an alternative to the Indian rupee, so to speak. We are looking at that closely.”
Home to 1.339 billion people, India’s interest in blockchain technology in any shape or form is a positive sign for the technology. With every passing day, countries are showing more and more interest in the idea of blockhain technology, figuring out different ways to implement it.
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