LOOKING BEYOND EFEXPO 2020

It is important that the festivity of DefExpo 2020 is supplemented by some honest, serious and sustained thinking on what needs to be done for digital transformation of defence, argues AMIT COWSHISH

Digital transformation of defence is the special theme of DefExpo 2020 being held at Lucknow in February, 2020. It reflects the centrality of artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, ubiquitous sensors, additive manufacturing, and quantum science in the ongoing digital transformation in military affairs. How the exhibition will further the cause of digital transformation is a bit of a puzzle, though.

In its eleventh edition now, defence exhibitions have been bringing together the exhibitors, users and the policy makers, and providing them an opportunity to find common ground for promotion of the business interests of the defence industry onthe one hand and the government’s interest in strengthening the defence manufacturing base in the country on the other hand. The theme of the forthcoming exhibition seems to suggest that the government expects this commonality of interest to take into account the imperatives of digital transformation.

Purely from the business point of view, India’s defence market holds a great promise like no other market does. India has the fifth largest defence budget in the world and contributes 3.7 per cent to the global military expenditure. This may not amount to much in absolute terms, but with there being little chances of remission any time soon in the security challenges faced by the country, and the government’s continuous thrust towards making it a manufacturing hub to beef up the economy, the opportunities India offers cannot simply be ignored by the defence industry.