Modern Warfare Target Minds,

Systems and Perception

Ravi Gupta

A weapon, by definition, is any object or instrument designed to harm, destroy, defeat, or subjugate an opponent. Conventional weapons-whether swords, daggers, spears, arrows, bullets, shells, or missiles-derive their destructive power from kinetic energy, a combination of mass and velocity. In contrast, non-kinetic weapons achieve their objectives through diverse means, targeting sensors, machines, and the physical or psychological states of adversaries, rather than relying on direct physical impact.

While the effects of conventional kinetic warfare are typically confined to battlefields and borders, non-kinetic warfare possesses a far-reaching and insidious potential. Its influence can penetrate deep into the lives, homes, and minds of citizens, affecting entire societies rather than just military targets.

The first-ever "Tri-Services Future Warfare" course, conducted by the Headquarters, Integrated Defence Staff in September, marked a significant step in redefining India's military preparedness. With a focus on the non-physical and non-kinetic aspects of warfare, this groundbreaking initiative delved into emerging domains like cyberattacks, psychological operations, and electromagnetic tactics.

As the nature of conflicts shifts away from conventional battlefields to unseen realms, the course highlighted the growing importance of influence, disruption, and control in modern warfare. This article explores the evolving landscape of non-kinetic warfare, uncovering how strategies that target minds, systems, and perceptions are shaping the future of global conflicts and why mastering these domains is critical for national security.

All warfare, including non-kinetic strategies, operates across four critical dimensions: Prevention, Defence, Offense, and Damage Control. In preventing conflict, diplomacy and deterrence serve as essential tools. Both demand a nation to maintain comprehensive strength across its military, economic, political, and technological capabilities, ensuring self-reliance (Aatmanirbharta). Deterrence works effectively when an adversary perceives that any misadventure would result in unacceptable repercussions.

Defensive mechanisms are vital to safeguarding a nation's people, land, resources, and interests during an attack. Offensive capabilities, on the other hand, not only serve as a deterrent but also provide the means for swift retaliation if provoked. Lastly, robust systems for damage control and harm mitigation are indispensable to minimise the impact of any attack and to recover effectively.

Bharat has made significant strides in strengthening all these dimensions. It continues to advance relentlessly, adapting to the constant evolution of warfare tactics, including both kinetic and non-kinetic domains, ensuring national security and resilience in an ever-changing global landscape.

The scope of non-kinetic weapons and warfare is vast, encompassing domains such as Information Warfare, Psychological Warfare, Electronic Warfare (including Directed Energy Weapons), Cyber Warfare, and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Warfare. These methods often overlap, and in practice, they may be deployed individually or in conjunction with kinetic weapons to achieve strategic objectives.

Given their complexity and breadth, it is challenging to provide an exhaustive overview in a brief write-up like this. The intent here is to offer a high-level perspective on the subject.

Bharat has long recognised the significance of these non-kinetic forms of warfare and has proactively worked to address them as they have evolved. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), as the country's premier agency for defence research and development, has been at the forefront of this effort. DRDO conducts in-depth research and develops both measures and countermeasures in these critical areas, ensuring that India's security agencies are equipped with cutting-edge technologies to safeguard national interests.

Electronic Warfare (EW)

The discovery of radio waves by Heinrich Hertz in 1886, followed by Guglielmo Marconi's invention of the radio, revolutionised military and civil communications. As with any new technology, countermeasures and counter-countermeasures quickly evolved. Methods to intercept or block radio communications were extensively utilised during the First World War. The reflective properties of radio waves, akin to visible light, were soon harnessed to detect ships and later aircraft, leading to the development of radars (Radio Detection and Ranging). This, in turn, spurred the creation of countermeasures to jam or evade enemy radars.

The Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS), and the technologies reliant on it, are now indispensable in both military operations and modern life. Electronic Warfare (EW), or Electromagnetic Warfare, encom-passes the entire electromagnetic spectrum—from radio, infrared, and microwaves to visible light, ultraviolet, and beyond. EW involves actions to ensure uninterrupted spectrum use by friendly forces for detection, tracking, deception, or destruction of enemy targets, as well as denying spectrum access to adversaries. The three pillars of modern EW are Electronic Support, Electronic Protection, and Electronic Attack.

Sonars (Sound Navigation and Ranging), though reliant on sound waves rather than electromagnetic waves, perform a similar function to radars by detecting, tracking, and monitoring surface and underwater objects. These systems are also considered integral to EW capabilities.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has made pioneering contributions to achieving total Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) in EW, vital for national security. Key DRDO laboratories engaged in EW R&D include DLRL (Electronic Countermeasures and Counter-Countermeasures), DEAL (Military Communications), IRDE (Electro-Optical Systems), LRDE (Radars), NPOL (Sonars), NMRL (Materials and Energy Systems), DLJ (Stealth and Camouflage), DRDO Young Scientist Labs (DYSLs), and DRDO Industry Academia Centres of Excellence (DIA-CoEs).

These labs specialise in diverse areas such as battlefield surveillance radars, long-range space-monitoring radars, EW suites for detecting and jamming enemy radars, communication intelligence systems, Directed Energy Weapons (e.g., anti-drone systems), sonars for naval vessels, stealth countermeasures, decoys, and secure communication technologies. These innovations showcase India's readiness to address both current and emerging non-kinetic warfare challenges.

This article highlights the DRDO's work in EW to emphasise India's technological preparedness for non-kinetic threats. Further references to specific labs or products will be minimised in subsequent sections.

Cyber Warfare

Cyber warfare involves actions to damage, destroy, or manipulate an adversary's computer systems or information networks, as well as measures to defend one's own assets from such attacks. As computer systems and information networks have become integral to daily life and essential components of a nation's economic and military activities- such as banking, transport, power generation and distribution, healthcare, and military communications- defending cyberspace is now as critical as protecting physical assets.

A unique aspect of cyber warfare is that the attacker can range from a nation or organisation to a group of individuals or even a single person, yet the potential damage can be catastrophic. For instance, a 15-year-old boy reportedly managed to hack into the networks of NASA and the Pentagon. The potential consequences of such an incident are unimaginable. Unlike conventional warfare, cyber warfare can inflict exponentially greater damage with a fraction of the resources typically required.

Cyber-attacks exploit vulnerabilities in target systems, whether existing in hardware or software or introduced inadvertently or deliberately by authorised users. This underscores the need for Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) in computer- and network-based devices and software. A nation has neither control nor jurisdiction over manufacturing facilities located abroad, making it imperative to develop domestic capabilities, especially for devices and software used in military systems, weapons, and critical infrastructure such as power grids and railways.

Cyber-attacks may have varied objectives, including espionage, sabotage, denial of service (e.g., ransomware), propaganda, economic disruption, or interference with transport, power distribution, or any other computer-based system crucial to the functioning of a nation.

Information Warfare, Psycho-logical Warfare, and Cognitive Warfare

On August 15, 2012, thousands of people from India's northeastern region, who had been living and working in Bengaluru for years, suddenly fled the city in panic. These individuals, employed in diverse sectors such as IT, healthcare, hospitality, and security, left en masse due to threatening messages circulating widely. This unprecedented exodus caused massive disruptions in work-places and the city at large, leading to substantial financial losses, shaken investor confidence, and untold suffering for the affected individuals and their families. Such an incident illustrates the devastating potential of information warfare, which achieves significant disruption at minimal cost. Similar tactics were evident during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the farm laws.

While closely related, information warfare, psychological warfare, and cognitive warfare are distinct concepts:

·       Information warfare seeks to gain control over an adversary's information space through the use of information, electronics, and communication technologies to achieve political or material advantages while protecting one's own information space.

·       Psychological warfare manipulates the reactions of individuals or groups by controlling the flow of information available to them. It aims to evoke fear, anxiety, despair, or anger, altering perceptions, emotions, opinions, and behaviours.

·       Cognitive warfare goes further, targeting the mental processes of acquiring knowledge and under-standing. Unlike psychological warfare, which focuses on reactions to specific stimuli, cognitive warfare seeks to fundamentally reshape thought processes.

These types of warfare share significant overlap and often employ tactics and technologies common in marketing and sales. For example, a brief online search for a T-shirt may lead to a deluge of targeted advertisements on social media (information technology). Some brands might attempt to make the individual believe their product is essential to look stylish (akin to psychological warfare). In more extreme cases, advertising could influence the person so deeply that they feel compelled to promote the brand, as if it were a personal mission (a cognitive effect). Religious and ideological fanatic-ism are stark examples of the cognitive warfare phenomenon.

Together, these three forms of warfare take the battlefield into the human mind. Leveraging technology, conventional and social media, and ideological beliefs alongside an understanding of human psychology, they shape how people perceive reality and react to situations.

Historical and Contemporary Examples

Cognitive warfare is not new. Ancient texts like the Mahabharata and Ramayana mention the use of maya (loosely translated as "illusion") to subdue adversaries. One of the most profound examples is the transformation of Arjuna's mindset during the Mahabharata, where the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita delivered by Krishna turns a dejected warrior into a resolute one. Similarly, Chanakya's strategies of saam, daam, dand, and bhed encapsulate key elements of cognitive warfare, albeit with tools specific to the era.

Modern technology, however, has revolutionised how these forms of warfare are conducted. Current examples include the ongoing narrative battles around the Ukraine-Russia war, the Middle East conflict, and political instability in Bangladesh. These illustrate how non-kinetic warfare is being increasingly used to achieve geopolitical and strategic objectives.

Economic Warfare

Economic warfare involves employing a variety of strategies to weaken an adversary nation's economy. The objectives may include creating political unrest, diminishing military strength, effecting a change in the political regime, or achieving subjugation. Tools commonly used as weapons in economic warfare include disrupting trade and economic activities, destroying profit margins, imposing blockades on shipping routes, denying access to the nation's own resources (e.g., by destroying crops, transport systems, or industries), and enforcing embargoes or technology denial regimes.

The globalisation of trade and economies has opened new avenues for conducting economic warfare. It is often said that economic warfare activities played a pivotal role in the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Similarly, control regimes and technology denials have significantly hampered India's progress, particularly in achieving aatmanirbhartaa in the defence sector. Delays in the supply of F404 aircraft engines for the Tejas fighter aircraft serve as a notable example of economic warfare.

The primary means of defending against economic warfare are fostering aatmanirbhartaa- especially in critical sectors—and developing the capability to conduct economic warfare, complemented by robust diplomacy.

Chemical, Biological, Radio-logical, and Nuclear (CBRN) Warfare

The devastating potential of a CBRN disaster has been starkly highlighted by the COVID-19 outbreak, reportedly originating in Wuhan, China, and swiftly spreading across the globe. CBRN warfare involves the use of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear agents to harm an adversary in various ways. These weapons, often classified as Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), have also been employed effectively on a more limited scale. Unless the target is well-prepared and forewarned, a CBRN attack can inflict significant damage before its effects are even recognised.

While international treaties prohibit the use of CBRN warfare, and most nations are signatories to these agreements, both state and non-state actors have clandestinely employed CBRN agents. Terrorists, in particular, disregard rules and treaties. The nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the use of chemical warfare agents in Vietnam, and the recent "Coronavirus disaster" all underscore the grim reality that "might is right" often prevails in enforcing international norms.

India is a technologically advanced CBRN-enabled state, an active member of the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), and a signatory to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) and other similar treaties. India participates in global efforts to prevent the use of these devastating weapons while prioritising its own national security interests.

Defence against CBRN attacks is structured around a four-pronged strategy: Detection, Protection, Decontamination, and Medical Mitigation. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a wide range of technologies and products in these areas, and domestic industries are actively manufacturing these for national security purposes.

Artificial Intelligence

Although not considered a distinct class of warfare, artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising every aspect of non-kinetic warfare. AI is transforming the entire spectrum of warfare, influencing:

·       Adaptive radars and optoelectronic systems

·       Communication systems and ECM/ ECCM equipment

·       Cognitive warfare tools

·       Adaptive CBRN warfare systems

·       Kinetic weapons

AI's ability to enhance adaptability and precision across these domains makes it a critical enabler of modern warfare strategies.

Concluding Remarks

A significant advantage of non-kinetic warfare, particularly cognitive warfare, is the difficulty in identifying and holding the real perpetrator accountable with conclusive evidence. This often leads to situations where one must coexist with the adversary. A stark example is the global devastation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, coupled with the continued economic interdependence with the prime suspect.

The evolution of emerging technologies continues to reshape the way wars-declared or undeclared, kinetic or non-kinetic-are fought. Non-kinetic warfare is likely to dominate, while the role of full-scale traditional kinetic warfare may remain largely as a deterrent. Kinetic weapons may still be employed in conjunction with non-kinetic strategies, particularly to physically occupy and control territories conquered through non-kinetic means.

The pace at which non-kinetic warfare and associated technologies, particularly cyber and cognitive warfare, are advancing is unprecedented. To counter Bharat's rise as a global superpower and formidable competitor, adversaries have employed- and continue to use various tactics, including cognitive warfare. Examples include Macaulay's education doctrine, pre- and post-1947 divisive strategies leading to Bharat's partition, asymmetric warfare in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast, Naxalite insurgencies in central Bharat, and numerous attempts to hinder the nation's progress through hyper-activism and unethical protests.

With Bharat now the world's fifth-largest economy and poised to soon become the third, dedicated efforts are essential to position Bharat as a global leader in these critical technologies.

(The author is former Scientist G & Director Public Interface, DRDO, Ministry of Defence. Feedback on this article can be sent to feedback.employmentnews@ gmail.com)

Views expressed are personal.