IN 21scheduled tribe The century, domination of space, as modern strategic thinkers will tell you, will define the existence of any nation. For defence, economic development or crime, space capabilities are becoming more and more important to nation states. Satellites will drive the future of our economy. They are the basis of the fourth wave of industrialization. The value of the global space economy is expected to reach $424 billion in 2020, a 70 percent increase since 2010. India’s share in the global space economy was around two per cent in 2019. Morgan Stanley estimates that the global space industry could generate revenue of more than $1. trillion or more by 2040, so one can imagine the potential for overall economic growth if a country is able to develop a vibrant space sector. With potential like this, it’s really not surprising that every country is working to get a piece of the pie. As agriculture, banking, communications and even scientific testing become increasingly dependent on the wealth of space, those that have the strength to defend themselves will thrive. Therefore, the space sector will play a big role in India’s bid to become a leading global power, and to safeguard the space sector, we will need a dedicated armed force – the Indian Space Force.
We can learn from history here. 19. cause the commercial and political power of the United Kingdom to dominate all other powers inth century was due to their naval superiority. Similarly, mid-20 . Fromth century until now, the airpower of the United States has made it a global hegemony. In times to come, it will be the armed superiority in space that will define whether a nation can develop economically without being harassed by adversaries.
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capacity difference
India still lacks military space service like the United States (US Space Force), Russia (Russian Aerospace Forces) and even the Space Force in Iran (The Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force). The military doctrine is that a nation should have one force for each dimension of the conflict. It is imperative to develop capabilities for non-traditional and hybrid warfare in the dimensions of space, cyber, and information warfare, beyond the traditional conflict dimensions such as land (army), sky (air force), and water (navy). Given the changing nature of great power competition. The US Space Force’s first combat missions as a new service include providing early warning of Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force missile attacks against US troops at Al Asad airbase on January 7, 2020, and monitoring Russian Space Forces spacecraft. involved, which was trailing the US government. Satellites Such challenges will emerge over time for India as well and we will need a dedicated force to deal with them.
At present, while India is a space-intensive nation, it is still considered to be a lightweight in the global space arena. The Indian Space Force will place us among the top executives of the global space superpowers, and in general, among the top global military powers. Adversaries such as Pakistan and China can affect India’s space capabilities through jamming, lagging, hacking or spoofing, and they now also have an additional weapon in the form of Anti-Satellite Weapon (ASAT), which is important in space and economy. can be disastrous. on the ground. India conducted its first ASAT test in 2019, dubbed Mission Shakti, becoming the fourth country after the US, Russia and China. It was a direct kinetic attack on its inactive satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at a distance of 300 km – a great achievement but still more than a decade behind China, which conducted its ASAT test at an altitude of 865 km.
Beyond the ASAT, there is always the danger of a rogue state placing weapons of mass destruction in space, flouting international agreements. Given the breakdown of the global power hierarchy, there is always the possibility of a nation-state, or even a non-state actor, planting a weapon of mass destruction in space that may go undetected for long periods of time – when Until it’s too late.
Furthermore, according to experts such as James Clay Moltz, the US military’s principal adviser on space defense, we are entering a new phase where space conflict will be one of the most defining aspects of global security, but the game is defined by “preventive”. Will be done. by denial strategies rather than simple offensive strategies”. Resistance by denial strategies means that “a state can, over time, form a flexible constellation of hundreds of network satellites (national, commercial and allied) that can convince an adversary May be capable of that his army will not be able to fulfill its objective. of denying space-derived information” (Moltz).
The United States leads the group with 1,878 satellites, followed by China (405), Russia (174), the UK (166), Japan (82) and India (60). As of February 2022, India had only 53 operational satellites in space. This means we have fallen behind the others, and China is meanwhile beginning the construction of a “Space Silk Road” supported by BeiDou (Chinese satellite navigation system), which by January 2022 has 44 satellites including two separate Includes satellite constellations. , According to IDSA’s analysis paper, China plans to expand Beidou services to all BRI countries. Analysis of China’s Digital and Space Belt and Road Initiative, it looks to integrate Middle Eastern countries into its Space Silk Road. This would mean greater political and economic integration of the Middle East and China for India, given the geopolitical and geo-economic importance of the Middle Eastern countries to India. India has nothing to match Chinese expansionist space ambitions and can do little to halt Chinese progress.
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non-state threat
In addition to hostile states, non-state elements such as terrorist groups are an ongoing threat to our national security and, with terrorists becoming even more sophisticated in increasing stealth attacks, critical services and space assets are under threat of terrorist attacks. Or what some scholars have called “Space Pirates”. Todd Jackman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies has rightly remarked: “One of the policy implications of the second space age is that the availability of advanced space capabilities on the commercial market could potentially bring the advantages of space within the reach of rogue nations.” and non-state actors.” An Indian space force would not only be able to protect and respond rapidly to such non-terrestrial terrorists, but it would also prove to be an edge over more traditional counter-terrorism measures. India’s space capabilities helped armed forces acquire actionable intelligence on terrorist launch pads during surgical strikes. These counter-terrorism capabilities will be enhanced rapidly by having a dedicated space force.
We established two new space agencies in 2019: the Defense Space Agency (DSA) to integrate space-based assets from various military forces and the Defense Space Research Organization (DSA) to facilitate the development of civilian space technology for military purposes. DSRO) Research Organization. The next logical step to realize the full potential of these agencies is to have an Indian Space Force as part of the Indian Armed Forces. Over time, in fact, the Space Force may develop types of institutions of its own to “develop and test theories of space power and space warfare” as the future of international conflict may be shaped by new ways of thinking about war. would be required.
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funding
Where is the money for this one may ask? This is a good question with four answers.
The first is that if we don’t have our own security infrastructure, we won’t be financially competitive – so we find the budget for it. Second, even the US Space Force, currently their smallest armed force with 8,400 personnel, has moved from the Air Force to the Space Force – the idea being to pile less on additional infrastructure and be smart and It is more about focused budgetary allocation. The payoff in increasing India’s gradient of control.
Third, in the event of inefficient use of military funds, we would do well with smart outsourcing from the private sector as well as less bureaucratic control over defense procurement, leading to inefficiencies, as argued by many defense experts, too. Most recently Tara Karta, former Director of the National Security Council Secretariat. Kartha even argues that “India should allow the armed forces to raise finances on its own. The defense budget will never be sufficient.” Our space entrepreneurs have increased their funding by 198.6 percent in the last year, despite over-regulation by the government. Growth in space-based commercial enterprises has the potential to grow the national economy and budget, which can be earmarked for strategic investments such as the Indian Space Force in due course.
We should look at space defense as if our lives depend on it – the future of our country really is. Indian Space Force will go a long way in making India a formidable global space power.
K Kavitha Rao is a member of Telangana Rashtra Samithi and MLC from Kamareddy and Nizamabad. Thoughts are personal.
(Edited by Anurag Choubey)