Indian Army Gears Up For Modern Warfare
The defence ministry has approved a new directorate general in the army to combat misinformation and false propaganda being spread through social media for adverse psychological impact.
This will be the DG Information Warfare. The new Directorate General Information Warfare will be headed by a Lieutenant General rank officer and will come under another newly created branch the Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy).
This DCOAS will be the third Deputy Chief and the 7th PSO to COAS. The DGMO, the DGMI and DG IW all three will report to DCOAS ( strategy). A few years back the DGMO was also made a PSO but now it will not be so.
This decision was taken recently by the CCS is amid fake news being spread on several military matters.
Importantly, it comes in the wake of propaganda being spread on social media from Pakistan on the Balakot air strikes by the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Pakistan Air Force’s aerial targeting of Indian military installations in Jammu and Kashmir.
Even videos of IAF pilot Wing Commander Abhinanda Varthaman, taken during his captivity under the Pakistan Army have been posted on social media.
The army has taken a strong note of these actions. In a clear reference to Pakistan in a press statement issued on Friday it said, “In the last three weeks, disinformation campaign by the adversary on digital media has increased.
All ranks have been well sensitised of these disinformation campaigns and all ranks can see through the lie, deceit and deception of the terror sponsors.”
In keeping with the needs of the future battlefield, hybrid warfare and social media reality, the new DG IW (Director General Information Warfare) will have under him the erstwhile ADGs PI (Public Information), ADG IW (Information Warfare) and a Cyber Dire torate.
The ADGPI deals with media projection and has a social media wing, which will remain untouched. The existing Information Warfare directorate operates under the DG Military Operations.
These moves are part of an army “ ‘Re-organisation of the Army Headquarter’, as a result of four studies was ordered by Army Chief General Bipin Rawat in June last year.
The four studies are part of the army’s efforts to transform into an agile, lethal and networked force to meet future challenges.
