In the light of India emerging as a leader in the IT and communication fields, efforts must be made to optimally exploit available expertise to develop an appropriate C4I2SR system with innovative technology to the Indian Army. To envision technical concepts from tactical and operational perspectives is, therefore, a critical necessity, especially in the context of the transformation process that is now under way in the Army. This study gives an incisive analysis of the military requirements in the present and futuristic battlefield milieu, likely to obtain in varied sectors/terrain of the country, as also of the contemporary IT and communication technologies available in the civil and commercial domains. It offers practically implementable solutions and merits cognizance at appropriate levels for its incorporation in the contemporary transformational matrix. The work is indeed a remarkable contribution to this field of research in India.

About the author:

Brig Shantanu Dayal is an Infantry officer commissioned in 1984. He has served in Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Assam, Manipur, Sri Lanka, Kuwait and Iraq. The officer commanded an infantry battalion in Kashmir and is currently commanding an infantry brigade in Assam. The officer’s experience in all the insurgency/terrorism affected areas and all active borders of the country along with exposure to the planning of military operations at the apex level and cognizable involvement in the transformational exertions of the Indian Army, elevates the author’s credentials in conceptualising and articulating a visionary C4I2SR for the Indian Army. He has been a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies, New Delhi.