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DELHI THE HINDU 8 EDITORIAL FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2019 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Heading towards strategic instability India must be alert as there is a possibility of emerging disruptive technologies prompting inadvertent conflict gy, advanced cyber capabilities long­range non­nuclear strike cap­ cading strategic competition then Not kosher and spectrum denial and high­ abilities could be used to deliver a looks unavoidable at this point, The Chanda Kochhar case raises issues of energy lasers. In the light of the disarming attack on a substantial and that is worrisome. And yet, it unprecedented capabilities that part of their strategic forces or de­ might be difficult to avoid some of corporate governance that go well beyond her these systems offer, there is also an capitate their nuclear command these developments given their he inquiry by former Supreme Court judge Jus­ increased focus on developing and control. Although they would dual use. H appymon Jacob suitable command and control as still launch their surviving nuclear However, there is a need to ask tice B.N. Srikrishna into the allegations against well as doctrinal concepts to ac­ missiles, improved missile­de­ how survivable India’s naval plat­ Tformer ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar has ta­ commodate and calibrate them. fence systems of the U.S. would forms are given the feverish deve­ ken eight long months to confirm what seems apparent n late 2018, the government de­ The arrival of these technolo­ GETTY IMAGES/ ISTOCK PHOTO mop up most of the remainder be­ lopments of advanced sensory – that she did not conduct herself as she should have in cided to set up three new agen­ gies might deeply frustrate strateg­ fore their warheads could do any capability in the neighbourhood. relation to conflict­of­interest issues. It was only last Icies — the Defence Cyber Agen­ ic stability as we know it given in the offing. In a January 2018 arti­ damage.” Is it sufficiently prepared to face week that the Central Bureau of Investigation filed an cy, the Defence Space Agency and their disruptive nature. Strategic cle, the Economist put it succinct­ The fear of a bolt­from­the­blue the new age wars? Has the urgency FIR against Ms. Kochhar, her husband Deepak Kochhar, the Special Operations Division — stability in the contemporary in­ ly: “Disruptive new technologies, attack against one’s command and associated with these technologi­ in order to address the new age ternational system, especially worsening relations between Rus­ control systems or a disabling cal developments dawned on the head of the Videocon group Venugopal Dhoot and ICICI challenges to national security. among the nuclear weapon states, sia and America and a less cau­ strike against strategic arsenal us­ security planners in New Delhi? Bank executives for sanction of credit facilities in viola­ While this is indeed a useful step depends on several age­old cer­ tious Russian leadership than in ing new technological solutions is It is in this context that we must tion of rules, that caused a loss of ₹1,730 crore to the in the right direction, it is also im­ tainties, the most important being the cold war have raised fears that likely to dominate the strategic revisit the government’s decision bank. The investigating agency has a long way to go be­ portant to note that the constitu­ the issue of survivability of a a new era of strategic instability mindspace of great powers in the to set up the agencies to address fore it establishes whether the loans were given in re­ tion of these agencies is a far cry state’s nuclear arsenal and its abil­ may be approaching.” days ahead, thereby further dee­ cyber and space challenges. Clear­ turn for financial favours, a charge that is at the heart of from the crucial recommenda­ ity to carry out a second strike af­ pening mistrust and creating insta­ ly, this is a timely effort from the booking them for criminal conspiracy, cheating and tions given by the Naresh Chandra ter a first attack. Once accuracies Fears of conflict bility. Therefore, the possibility of government to have finally decid­ Task Force and the Chiefs of Staff get better, hypersonic glide vehi­ There is an inherent paradox vis­à­ emerging military technologies ed to set them up — though they corruption. But clearly, Ms. Kochhar erred, and badly at Committee, both of which had cles replace conventional delivery vis high technology­enabled mili­ prompting inadvertent escalation are not yet in place. It is unfortu­ that, in not disclosing to the bank’s board her husband’s suggested the formation of three systems, real time tracking and tary systems. While on the one and conflict cannot and should nate that unlike what was envi­ business connections with the Videocon group, which separate joint commands to deal surveillance make major strides, hand, it is imperative for states to not be ruled out. sioned earlier, these agencies will was a client of the bank. Worse, she failed to display the with new challenges to India’s na­ and AI­enabled systems take over, redesign their systems in the light be reduced in their powers and correctness expected of her by sitting on committees tional security in the cyber, space survivability of nuclear arsenal, of these new technologies, espe­ Chinese capabilities their standing in the pecking order that sanctioned credit facilities to Videocon when she and special operations domains. which lies at the heart of great cially the digital and cyber compo­ China has emerged as a key actor of defence planning in the coun­ ought to have recused herself. Just a day after a ₹300­ This rather lacklustre response power stability, could take a sev­ nents, this also makes the cyber­ in the field of emerging military try. Moreover, reports indicate crore loan was disbursed to Videocon International to major ‘futuristic’ challenges to ere beating. There was, for in­ and digital­enabled systems vul­ technologies. This is something that the Space Command will be our national security raises a larg­ stance, an assumption that the na­ nerable to covert cyberattacks. that will concern New Delhi in the headed by the Air Force, the Army Electronics in 2009, Mr. Kochhar’s NuPower Renewa­ er question: is India adequately val leg of a nuclear triad is the More so, given that such surrepti­ days ahead. Some analysts believe will head the Special Operations bles received ₹64 crore from the Videocon group. prepared for the new age wars in most survivable part since it is hid­ tious attacks might take place in that Beijing is in the lead position Command, and the Navy will be gi­ Whether this was a quid pro quo for the loan, as the CBI general or is it still preparing for den away in the depths of the the early stages of a conflict, ensu­ in emerging technologies with po­ ven the responsibility of the Cyber suggests, needs to be proved. But there is no denying the last war it fought, and won? ocean away from the adversary’s ing confusion and scare might lead tential military applications such Command. If indeed that hap­ that it made for poor, even suspicious, optics. gaze. However, the potential abili­ to uncontrolled escalation with lit­ as quantum computing, 3D print­ pens, their effectiveness in terms The inquiry report holds her guilty of violation of the High­tech innovations ty of deep­sea drones to detect bal­ tle time for assessment and ing, hypersonic missiles and AI. If of tri­service synergy will be much bank’s “code of conduct, its framework for dealing with There is a revolution in military af­ listic­missile armed nuclear sub­ judgement. indeed, Beijing continues to deve­ less than anticipated. Even more fairs that seems to have attracted marines or SSBNs may make this The biggest fear about these lop hypersonic systems, for in­ so, given that the higher defence conflict of interest and fiduciary duties, and in terms of the attention of strategic analysts assurance a thing of the past there­ technologies, the implications of stance, it could potentially target a decision­making in the country is applicable Indian laws, rules and regulations.” The and policy planners across the by frustrating traditional which we don’t fully understand range of targets in the U.S. While still civil services­dominated, des­ bank’s board has accepted the report and decided to world. The current focus in mili­ calculations. yet, is their potential to increase the Chinese focus is evidently on pite the recent attempts to correct treat her voluntary resignation from the bank in Octob­ tary thinking across the world is Now add the arrival of these the risks of intentional and inad­ U.S. capabilities, which China in­ it, the effectiveness of these agen­ er as “termination for cause”, also deciding to claw increasingly moving away from new technologies to the emerging vertent nuclear use. Such scena­ terprets as a potential threat, this cies will remain weak. back all bonuses paid to her since April 2009, hold back traditional heavy­duty military strategic competition among great rios may be unlikely but not im­ is not without latent concerns for unpaid amounts and divest her of her stock option en­ hardware to high­tech innovations powers. The U.S.’s withdrawal probable. Here’s what the New Delhi. India might, in turn, H appymon Jacob teaches disarmament such as artificial intelligence (AI), from the Intermediate­Range Nu­ Economist had to say on precisely consider developing some of these studies at JNU and is the author of Line On titlements. These are strong penalties, but the question big data analytics, satellite jam­ clear Forces treaty is perhaps an such a scenario: “Both China and technologies which will create di­ Fire: Ceasefire Violations and India­ is: how did the board give her a clean chit as recently as mers, hypersonic strike technolo­ indication of a potential arms race Russia fear that new American lemmas for Islamabad.

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