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Future of Indian Army Involves AI and Drones, Says Lieutenant General BS Raju

Emphasising on how drones are on the new frontier, he says that it’s important not just in terms of war fights and intelligence gathering, but to ensure the army had what it needed.

bhuvana.kamath

Published 2022-09-13T05:30:00.000+05:30Updated 2022-09-13T05:30:00.000+05:30

Key takeaways

The Indian Army's future will heavily incorporate artificial intelligence and drones for improved logistics and operational efficiency.
Lieutenant General BS Raju highlighted the significance of drones for combat, intelligence, and logistical support, including casualty evacuations.
Data is deemed crucial for strategic decision-making, with Lieutenant General Raju referring to it as the 'new oil'.
The Army aims to learn from civilian sectors to enhance its logistics capabilities, particularly in higher altitude operations.
Recruitment will focus on individuals with technical skills from ITIs and polytechnics to strengthen the Army's technological capabilities.

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Lieutenant General BS Raju, vice chief, Indian Army, said today that the future of the Indian Army would involve artificial intelligence and drones with advanced understanding of logistics.

Calling data as the “new oil”, he said that the Army is not shy of artificial intelligence. “Once we get the data, we should get a sense of what to do.”

Emphasising on the importance of drones on the new frontier, the vice chief says that it’s crucial not only in terms of war fights and intelligence gathering, but to ensure that the army had what it needed. Drones could be of great help in the evacuation of casualties, or sending ammunition and medicines to remote areas.

The Indian Army has sufficient drones for low altitude areas and a few medium altitudes—but not enough for altitudes at a higher region. “When it came to logistics, the civilian sector had already taken off and there were a ton of things that we can copy,” he said. “Once the civilian organisations understand the aspirations of the Army, it would be easy to work together.”

The vice chief suggested that the army might need to do what civilians are doing, which would eventually involve some risks with the Army having sufficient “buffer stock”.

Earlier in July 2022, he said that the Indian Army will look forward to recruiting people qualified in technical skills from industrial training institutes (ITIs) and polytechnics, strengthening the technical wing of Army as ‘Agniveers’.