Army must conquer cyberspace to counter terror: Army chief
New Delhi, June 27: The Indian armed forces and security establishment must learn to "exploit cyberspace to our advantage" if the scourge of terrorism has to be defeated, Army chief General Bipin Rawat said here on Wednesday.
In his keynote address at a two-day conference on cyber warfare and security, Gen Rawat said: "Cyber is not just important for in conventional warfare domain but also in sub-conventional or proxy warfare.
"As far as armed forces are concerned, we must exploit cyberspace to our advantage. We must enjoy the benefits of cyber."
He said that the modern day terrorists operating against us "from across the border" were very tech savvy and were exploiting cyberspace to their advantage.
"If we don't stay ahead of them, we would never be able to get over the phenomenon of terrorism that has engulfed our nation," the Army chief said.
However, he rued, that instead of learning to exploit the cyberspace to our advantage, the armed forces were "denying ourselves the use of some of the niche technology".
"Why is it happening? I think this is happening because we are developing the right approach but this approach with extreme caution is preventing us from acquiring these technologies," he said.
The way out, the General said, was to exploit not just the technology available in the open domain, but also "the technology that is available with the young technocrats who have acquired expertise through on-the-job knowledge of various issues related to cyber world".
Rawat said that cyberspace had already emerged as a revolution in the military affairs as presently all the weapons, equipment, ammunition or any other system in use in the armed forces employs some kind of technology that takes advantage of it.
He pointed out that this also lent the defence systems vulnerable to attacks from adversaries.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Mehbooba seeks release of people arrested for 'peaceful' protests against Khamenei's killing
Srinagar (PTI): Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday urged the Jammu and Kashmir Police to release those arrested for staging protests in the Valley against the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israel strike on February 28.
“Scores of protesters, including women, have been arrested across Kashmir for peacefully participating in rallies in the wake of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's martyrdom.
“Authorities had assured their families that they would be released soon. But, unfortunately, this hasn't been the case. Urge Jammu and Kashmir Police to consider their release at the earliest,” Mufti said in a post on X.
ALSO READ: Villagers pelt stones at anti-encroachment team in MP’s Dhar district
Kashmir, which is home to about 15 lakh Shias, saw major protests at the Lal Chowk and Saida Kadal in Srinagar, Budgam, Bandipora, Anantnag and Pulwama after the news of Khamenei's killing spread, forcing the authorities to impose restrictions, which were lifted on Saturday morning.
While the protests were largely peaceful, minor clashes broke out at a few places between the security forces and the protesters, prompting the former to use force to maintain law and order.
The US and Israel launched military strikes on Iran on February 28, killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader since 1989.
Following the military offensive, Iran has carried out a wave of attacks mainly targeting Israeli and American military bases in several Gulf countries, including the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
In the last few days, the conflict has widened significantly with attacks and counter-attacks by both sides.
