Upping The Game In Space Warfare

In News

• The Indian government has given its approval to set up a new agency that will develop technologies and systems for space warfare.

In-Detail

• The Cabinet Committee on Security has given its approval to form the Defence Space Research Agency (DSRA) that will develop specialized weapons for space warfare.
• The new agency will enhance the war waging capabilities of the armed forces in space.
• It appears that the decision was taken some time ago and the agency is taking shape with a Joint Secretary-level Scientist.
• The agency will have a team of scientists who will work in coordination with the tri-services Defence Staff officers.
• The new organization will assist the Defence Space Agency (DSA), that was created to fight space wars, in providing research and development support.
• The DSA consists of members of the three services.
• Currently, it is being set up in Bengaluru under an Air Vice Marshal-rank officer. 

Why The Need?

• With the Anti Satellite Test (ASAT) in March this year, India had announced to the world its deterrence capabilities against adversaries in the space arena.
• To further the country’s capabilities in developing new technologies and systems that will give an advantage in space wars, the new agency has been set up.
• With countries like the US, China and Russia are advancing their space war capabilities, India should not fall behind.
• Already the United States has formed a US Space Command and is proposing to form the US Space Force, a new armed service.
• India is also readying itself for any eventualities through its first-ever simulated space warfare exercise – IndSpaceEx.

IndSpaceEx

• The exercise involves all stakeholders – the military and the scientific establishment.
• Objectives of the exercise are to understand the challenges, both current and emerging, in the space domain. 
• Also, it will enable India to appreciate its space capabilities and develop new ones as India is wary of counter-space capabilities of China.
• World over, such exercises are not uncommon. Major space-faring nations have regularly conducted such simulation exercises to understand capabilities, identify gaps and then feed them into policymaking.

India’s Space Policy

• India’s Defence Space Policy is still emerging.
• Space domain has been peaceful for India for close to three decades and things are changing now.
• The politics of the country and the competition to dominate the space domain made outer space highly contested had made India to change its stand.
• India is thus developing its counter-space capabilities to deny the adversaries any advantage.
• The counter-space capabilities include kinetic, non-kinetic, cyber and electronic means.
• Also, militaries around the world are emphasising on network centricity where space plays an important role in the form of Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR).

But, more than developing war waging or deterrent capabilities, India has to demonstrate its space governing abilities, generate rules and regulations at the world stage.

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