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The Print
5 hours ago
- Politics
- The Print
Indian Armed Forces' PR mechanism is sluggish. Information is warfare now
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Armed Forces' 'wheels within wheels' PR machinery has consistently fallen short during crises, even when we held the initiative. From LoC to the LAC, Balakot to the Brahmos missile incident and Pulwama to Pahalgam, perceptions have often been shaped by adversaries exploiting an information vacuum—created more often than not, by our inability or unwillingness to dominate information space. This highlights that warfare by information should not be seen just as a subcomponent of warfare but as warfare itself. Despite the global recognition of information warfare's criticality, the Indian Armed Forces seem to be struggling to even reach a reasonable level of information sharing, often confusing it with mere advertisement. In an increasingly digital world, where conflicts are waged not just on battlefields but in the information space, the Indian Armed Forces face an urgent imperative to redefine their communication strategies. Historical examples like Mahabharata's ' Ashwathama hato hata …..' and recent global conflicts such as Russia- Ukraine and Israel-Hamas, clearly reflect what was famously written by Marshall McLuhan in Culture Is Our Business : 'While World War I & WW II were waged using armies and mobilized economies, WW III will be a guerrilla info war with no division between military & civilian participation.' This allows the injection of disinformation and turns narratives against our great nation. Existing PR mechanism is sluggish and less effective due to the cumbersome 'elephantine' clearance process, low tolerance to mistakes, often sharing too little, too late and generally 'happy' chasing a narrative which is already in public domain. In stark contrast, adversaries operate with greater aggression, efficiency and agility. Also read: Army warns veterans against posting 'false narratives' on social media, says pensions could be withheld Dominating the narrative The core principle in this battle of narratives is that the digital world rewards virality and has very little or no time for morality or veracity. The fight invariably is on whose story wins; therefore, OUR STORY MUST WIN, it's non-negotiable. This requires a deep understanding of narrative, space, information, and domination. A narrative is defined as a coherent story influencing perceptions and shaping behaviour to achieve psychological dominance. It's the 'art of storytelling,' demanding a clear target audience and compelling content, even amid the challenges of information overload and disinformation. Drawing from Sun Tzu's Art of War principle of subduing the enemy without fighting, influence operations must focus on dominating the cognitive space. A Whole of Nation (DIME) approach—integrating diplomatic, information, military, economic, social and diaspora elements—is vital for strategic communication, both domestically and internationally. Information itself has become a weapon of mass disruption, distraction and deflection, serving as a breeding ground for misinformation and disinformation. Unknown, anonymous, well-informed keyboard warriors on both sides bombard the audience with competing messages and information, which is neither true nor factual. Domination of information space is even more relevant in today's fast-moving battle of narratives. Social media, a weapon in plain sight, has exponentially amplified the reach of information, breaking down hierarchies and merging local, national, and international boundaries. It allows alternate facts (fake news), rumours, photoshopped pictures and canards to go viral rapidly, capable of portraying victory as defeat and vice versa, rendering traditional notions of victory obsolete. Hence, this vital virtual ground cannot be ceded to the adversary at any cost. Also read: There's an all-new N-word now. And India's soft power has become its hard liability Strategies for countering disinformation Effective perception management hinges on a clearly identified target audience and end state. Our intent has to be very clear because intent decides the content, content projects our intent and collectively they facilitate the desired connect with the target audience. This necessitates a sharp focus on the message, messenger and target audience. Recognising that advanced media or skillfully packaged information alone are insufficient without addressing the specific audience and information gaps. The Armed Forces, while proficient in combat, must equally prioritise winning the perception war to prevent adversarial narratives from undermining public psyche and credibility. Therefore, narrative 'management' should be more crucial than the actual act. Also read: Rafale's Sindoor strike thrilled TV war rooms—'Painted Pakistan red', 'Dharam bata diya' Integrated and proactive communication A critical need is to integrate all mediums—print, electronic and cyber —under a unified platform to align political-military aims with credible messaging. This calls for a common Tri-Services Information Warfare (IW)/PR organisation under the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), replacing the current fragmented structure of multiple information-sharing agencies. The proposed organisation would feature tri-services verticals of IW, Cyber & Electronic Warfare and Strategic Communication, with dedicated officers overseeing various aspects. The three services PROs must be completely delinked from the Directorate of Public Relations (DPR). With a very vibrant IW Branch at the formation level, the current system of 25 Regional PROs needs to be revisited, preferably done away with. In any case, PROs cannot even share basic information with the Press without clearance from Service HQs. Designated spokespersons (Brigadier/Colonel) at Formation Headquarters to swiftly disseminate initial '5 Ws & 1 H' (Who, What, When, Where, Why & How) on social media, followed by detailed press releases, is strongly recommended. The guiding principles for media engagement should be ABC: Answer, Convey, Bridge and CCD: Confident, Credible, Direct. Furthermore, the strategy emphasises generating high-quality, transparent and concise communication with strong visual content for emotional engagement. Continuous monitoring of social media for fact-checking and filling information vacuum with speed, credibility, and accuracy is crucial. The present approach toward information sharing is often ad hoc with no clear end state in mind, driven in isolation by individual media management initiatives and jumping from crisis to crisis. Employment of specialists and academic researchers as part of a military-private partnership in centres of excellence for long-term influence operations, including environment scanning and narrative development, is also recommended. Therefore, collaboration and corroboration among counter-terrorist operation stakeholders are deemed a strategic necessity. Prompt information sharing prevents impatience and frustration, while 'half-baked information' can be detrimental to national/organisational interests. Hence, proactive damage control, exposing adversaries and preemption through joint rapid response teams for fact-checking are vital to amplify positive narratives. As Yuval Harari states, 'The power of humanity lies in the capacity to tell great stories: it is the ability of humans to think imaginatively, to fictionalize, weave & tell stories effectively that makes Homo sapiens superior to other species. It is a belief in different stories of religion, history, civilization and cultural notions, laws & rights as also systems of governance that have spawned conflict. Hence, info flow shapes questions of war and peace.' In conclusion, the outdated Defence Technical Publicity Rules (DTPR) of 2004 demand a new communication strategy for the Indian Armed Forces to convey, control and ensure 'our story to win.' Overcoming the 'sound byte problem' by adopting 'Tell it all, tell it early, tell it yourself' is paramount. The era of chasing narratives is over; being proactive rather than reactive is the imperative for navigating the complexities of modern information warfare. Col Rajesh Kalia (Retd) was the media coordinator for the historic Siachen trek for civilians in 2007. He has served as the Defence Spokesperson in the North East covering MoD-related events in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur & Meghalaya. Views are personal. (Edited by Theres Sudeep)
Times of Oman
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Times of Oman
India refutes reports in Indonesia on loss of fighter jets during Operation Sindoor
Jakarta: India has refuted reports regarding a presentation made by the Defence Attache at a seminar in Indonesia over the fighter jets allegedly lost during Operation Sindoor, saying that the remarks were "taken out of context" and are "misrepresenting the intention and thrust" of the presentation. "We have seen media reports regarding a presentation made by the Defence Attache at a Seminar. His remarks have been quoted out of context and the media reports are a mis-representation of the intention and thrust of the presentation made by the speaker," the Indian Embassy in Indonesia said in a statement on Sunday. "The presentation conveyed that the Indian Armed Forces serve under civilian political leadership unlike some other countries in our neighbourhood. It was also explained that the objective of Operation Sindoor was to target terrorist infrastructure and the Indian response was non-escalatory," it added. Earlier in May, Reuters released an article citing Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan's statement on India's military superiority over Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. The CDS admitted during the interview that the Armed Forces had suffered losses in the initial stages of the operation but then struck with impunity at Pakistan's bases. "So what I can say is, on May 7 and the initial stages, there were losses, but the numbers and that's not important. What was important is why did these losses occur, and what will we do after that? So we rectified the tactics and then went back on seventh, eighth and 10th, and 10th in large numbers, to hit their bases deep inside Pakistan, penetrated all their defences with impunity, with scattered opposition strikes," Gen Chauhan was quoted as saying by Reuters. India decisively asserted its military superiority over Pakistan during last month's brief but intense conflict, with its aerial strikes penetrating deep into Pakistani territory and delivering pinpoint blows to critical enemy infrastructure such as radar systems, control units, and airbases, a Reuters report citing CDS statement, underlining how New Delhi's military superiority during "Operation Sindoor" forced Islamabad to tuck its tail.
United News of India
12 hours ago
- Politics
- United News of India
Controversy erupts over Defence Attache's remarks on Op Sindoor aircraft losses; Indian Embassy says 'quoted out of context'
New Delhi, June 29 (UNI) The Indian Embassy in Indonesia today sought to clarify the remarks on Operation Sindoor made by the Defence Attache at a seminar, saying that he had been quoted out of context. The controversy arose from media reports quoting a portion of Defence Attache Captain Shiv Kumar's remarks during a 35-minute presentation on Operation Sindoor. To a query that India had lost many aircraft, he said that India 'did lose some aircraft and that happened only because of the constraint given by the political leadership to not attack their (Pakistan's) military establishment or their air defences. But after the loss, we changed our tactics and went for their military installations. So, we first achieved success of destruction of their military air defences, and that is why all our missiles were able to easily go through, our Brahmos, and surface-to-surface missiles,' Indian Defence Attaché to Indonesia Capt Shiv Kumar is quoted as media reports on his remarks, the Indian Embassy in a late evening statement said: 'We have seen media reports regarding a presentation made by the Defence Attache at a Seminar. 'His remarks have been quoted out of context and the media reports are a mis-representation of the intention and thrust of the presentation made by the speaker. 'The presentation conveyed that the Indian Armed Forces serve under civilian political leadership unlike some other countries in our neighbourhood. 'It was also explained that the objective of Operation Sindoor was to target terrorist infrastructure and the Indian response was non-escalatory.'However, the Congress was quick to seize upon the controversy. Congress leader Pawan Khera, posting a picture of a media report on the subject, wrote on X: 'The Modi government has misled the nation from the start - failing to disclose the aircraft losses during Operation Sindoor. 'There were oblique references to losses in air combat on 6/7 May, during a briefing by the DG Air Ops (Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti) when he said - 'we are in a combat situation and losses are a part of combat.' 'Then, it was left to Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan to make the first official admission of our attrition in the air while speaking to Bloomberg TV on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. 'And now, in another shocking revelation by Capt. Shiv Kumar, it has emerged that the Indian Air Force lost fighter jets to Pakistan on the night of May 7, 2025 during its targeting of Pakistan's terror-linked sites 'only because of the constraint given by the political leadership.''This is a direct indictment of the Modi Government, particularly Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. No wonder they are ducking our demand for a Special Session of Parliament like the plague. They know they've compromised national security, and they're terrified of what the Congress Party will expose before the people of India.' His post was reposted by senior party leader Jairam Ramesh. UNI RN
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Quoted out of context': India clarifies defence attaché's remarks on Operation Sindoor, 'misrepresentation of intention'
NEW DELHI: The Indian Embassy in Indonesia on Sunday clarified that media reports had "quoted out of context" remarks made by Defence Attaché Captain Shiv Kumar during a seminar on Operation Sindoor . Captain Shiv Kumar had outlined the Indian military's initial response during the early stages of Operation Sindoor while speaking at a seminar hosted by an Indonesian university. In a statement posted on X, the embassy clarified that the officer's remarks were 'quoted out of context' and that media coverage had misrepresented the intent and focus of the presentation. 'We have seen media reports regarding a presentation made by India's defence attaché to Indonesia at a seminar. His remarks have been quoted out of context, and the media reports are a misrepresentation of the intention and thrust of the presentation made by the speaker,' the embassy said. According to the clarification, the presentation highlighted a key tenet of India's civil-military structure, that the Indian Armed Forces operate under the authority of civilian political leadership. It pointedly noted this contrasts with practices in 'some other countries in our neighbourhood'. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Why Seniors All Over America Are Rushing to Buy This Camera Secret Scope Camera Learn More Undo The embassy further said that the officer had referred to Operation Sindoor, explaining that the objective was to target terrorist infrastructure, and that India's military response was non-escalatory. Earlier in the day, Congress had cited the reported comments of India's defence attache to Indonesia and accused the government of having "misled" the country. The party also asked why is Prime Minister Narendra Modi "refusing" to preside over an all-party meeting to take the Opposition into confidence and why has the demand for a special session of Parliament been rejected.
India.com
a day ago
- Politics
- India.com
Operation Sindoor: Bad news for China, Pakistan, Bangladesh as India plans to expand S-400 arsenal by…, Russia commits to…
एस-400 ट्रायम्फ को लेकर चर्चा New Delhi: The Indian Armed Forces, during Operation Sindoor, decimated the terror launchpads and training camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK). Reports now suggest that Pakistan has initiated a fresh effort to reconstruct terror camps. This rebuilding process is receiving full support from Pakistan's military, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and government authorities. During the operation, the India's S-400 air defence systems also played a pivotal role. Now, the Modi government is planning to purchase of two more squadrons of the long-range surface-to-air missile system from Russia, news agency ANI has reported. What Role Did S-400 Systems Play During Operation Sindoor? During Operation Sindoor, the S-400 systems intercepted multiple Pakistan Air Force fighter jets and airborne early warning aircraft. Notably, one system achieved a record by hitting an aircraft over 300 kilometres away, highlighting its long-range strike capability. When will Russia deliver the remaining two S-400 squadrons? Russia has assured India it will deliver the two remaining squadrons of the S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile systems, which played a crucial role during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan last month, by 2026-27. According to a Times of India report, the delivery of the fourth and fifth squadrons of the S-400 air defence systems, which has been hugely delayed due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, figured in the bilateral meeting between defence minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov. Why is indigenous LRSAM development facing delays? The move to consider additional S-400 units is also driven by delays in India's indigenous long-range surface-to-air missile (LRSAM) initiative, Project Kusha. Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in partnership with Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited and Bharat Dynamics Limited, the project is still some time away from full deployment, making an interim solution necessary. It is important to note that Each S-400 squadron has two missile batteries with 128 missiles each. These missiles have interception ranges of 120, 200, 250 and 380-km, as well as long-range acquisition and engagement radars and all-terrain transporter-erector vehicles. The IAF has deployed the first three S-400 squadrons in north-west and east India to cater for both China and Pakistan.
