Technology Revolution

Post-industrial revolution, the multidisciplinary technology revolution, is changing the thinking of the militaries all over the world, and Pakistan is no exception. In the near future, Pakistan is expected to incorporate much technological advancement into its military hardware. It has already started the incorporation of information technology (IT) into its military systems.

The question is, to what extent is this influencing the structure and use of military power? High-performance computing, satellite imagery, crypto technologies and other forms of militarily useful IT-based techniques are in use all over the world. Pakistan is importing a majority of its military equipment from the developed nations. Naturally, most of the recent procurements are state-of-the-art machinery. Pakistan already has large conventional armed forces based overwhelmingly on mechanical and electrical industrial age technologies [7]. In future, it is expected that Pakistan’s existing military hardware will be increasingly augmented by IT – based systems. In South Asia, India has marched ahead in the IT revolution which, in turn, has made a major impact on Indian defence policy. Today, India is in possession of many technologies which seek decisive IT-based battlefield advantages. This, in turn, is going to intensify regional arms race as potential combatants are likely to seek decisive IT-based battlefield advantages.

Pakistan understands that the astonishing proliferation of precision-guided muni­tions (PGMs), sophisticated intelligence-gathering capabilities, advanced command and control systems and ingenious information warfare processes is evidence of the RMA’s impact. The RMA’s technological focus is apparent in today’s Pakistani military thinking [8] The RMA, however, is about more than simply grafting the latest technologies onto existing forces. Most analysts insist that for a true RMA to occur, doctrinal and organisational change must accompany the new war-fighting technologies.

As of 2010, about 650,000 people were on active duty in the Pakistan military, with an additional 543,000 people in reserves. The total strength of the Pakistan Army is approximately 550,000 personnel. Pakistan is planning to downsize the army [9] with a view to enhancing the combat potential of the army by qualitative upgradation. This appears to be an attempt to re-muster non-combatant personnel for new ‘force multiplier’ units such as electronic warfare, information and cyber warfare, reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA) and air defence units, all of which Pakistan is known to be raising in its quest to catch up with the RMA [10].

The existing assets of the Pakistan Army, Navy and Air Force which include main battle tanks, attack helicopters, F-16 Falcons, J-10, Mirage-III and Mirage-5 squadrons, A-5 Fantan and naval combat aircraft and submarine[54] imply that first phase of the RMA itself would take time and effort. Upgradation of these assets and investments in new technologies is likely to make their RMA more contemporary. Already a debate is on in Pakistan’s defence establishment regarding the need of investment in modern technologies. It is argued that new tools and processes of waging war like information warfare, network-centric warfare (NCW), integrated command and control (C4ISR) and system of systems, all powered by information technology, have led to the RMA, and the Pakistani establishment should take serious note of it.

This in turn will also broaden the parameters of Pakistani thinking about national security. The countries of the world are now on the brink of a major revolution (read India). Also, the ramifications of the RMA need to be understood not only by Pakistani military officers but also by strategy planners, both military and civil. The Pakistani military has to contend with the fifth dimension of warfare— information—in addition to land, sea, air and space.[55]

Pakistan’s direct and indirect dependence on space technologies and information technologies is expected to increase in the future. This becomes evident from its force modernisation plan. The Pakistan Navy has received four P-3C Orions[56]

long-range maritime surveillance aircraft from the US. The US handed two P3C Orion aircraft to Pakistan Navy in late April 2010. This was in addition to the earlier supplied two aircraft. By 2012, Pakistan Navy is expected to take delivery of a total of eight P3C aircraft. Unfortunately, for Pakistan two of its aircraft were destroyed by the Taliban forces when they attacked PNS Mehran base near Karachi on May 22, 2011. It is expected that the US would replace these aircraft.

Pakistan has also acquired four F-22P frigates and antisubmarine helicopters from China.[57] It has taken a big leap to strengthen its fast-depleting air power by securing an airborne early warning and control system (AEW&CS). This state-of – the-art system has augmented the Pakistan Navy’s existing potential for maritime and tactical surveillance. Pakistan has an ‘eye in the sky’ since 2009 when the first Swedish Saab-2000 ERIEYE AWE&C was delivered to them. In total, PAF has received four AWACS planes from Sweden. China has also provided one ZDK – 03 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEWC) plane, and three more are in the pipeline.[58]

There are also unconfirmed reports that Pakistan is planning to acquire unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) from Turkey. The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), an aircraft manufacturing factory at Kamra, manufactures PAC Ababeel which is a small arms air defence target. PAC had also exhibited a new aerial target called Nishan at the Dubai Air Show in November 1997.[59] Pakistan Navy’s first squadron of indigenously developed UAVs has been formally inducted in Pakistan Navy Fleet during July 2011.[60] It is believed that Pakistan is manufacturing the UAVs with the support from Turkey and China.

The Institute of Optronics (IOP) at Chaklala-Rawalpindi has established state – of-the-art military specifications production and testing facilities of night vision devices, based on image intensifier tubes.[61] The night vision systems have vastly improved the ability of the Pakistani armed forces to undertake a number of vital functions related to force effectiveness, command and control and surveillance. These systems have also improved their tactical and logistical movements and have increased the accuracy of firepower.

Such modern technologies depend largely on information and satellite technolo­gies for purposes of communication and intelligence reporting. Space capabilities play an important role in network-centric warfare. This type of warfare offers a method to build information superiority, a key factor to success in the modern battle

space. The twenty-flrst century militaries are greatly dependent on network-centric warfare because it makes possible smooth and accurate information sharing and increases situational awareness amongst the troops and in turn enhances mission effectiveness. The Pakistani armed forces and defence industries are aware of these advantages. The future plans of the Institute of Optronics include the establishment of facilities for night vision devices based on thermal imaging techniques for all types of armoured vehicles and helicopters. The latest batch of Al-Khalid main battle tanks (developed at the Heavy Industries Taxila—HIT) assures greater survivability of the machine in the battleground. The other vital feature of the upgraded Al-Khalid is a data-link system which allows the tanks to exchange data with each other and with the command centre.[62] These upgradations have been conducted by the HIT keeping in view the need of modern-day network-centric war strategies. Pakistan’s emphasis on network-centric warfare has made a real-time electronic map display system available to its tank commanders.

Other network-centric force multipliers like SQPS (squad personal positioning system[63]) are being made available to the Pakistani commando units. After a paradrop from an aircraft inside a hostile territory, Pakistani troops can locate their exact positions from the SQPS personnel electronic map positioning system. On a small portable colour screen, troops can view the map of the area, their objective, their own position and that of their entire squad. A miniature GPS (global positioning system) sensor on their shoulder establishes the ground position, which is electronically transmitted to the commander and displayed on a hand computer via the squad radio. The entire mission is programmed in the map on the commander’s hand computer overlaid on the geographic map of the area.[64]

Pakistan is likely to be in possession of ECOM WISPER WATCH unmanned airborne SIGINT system (it is being marketed by a Pakistani firm named East West Inflniti (EWI) (P) Ltd.,1-10, Industrial Area, Islamabad[65]) which is designed for armed forces like Pakistan that cannot procure and maintain a high-end manned SIGINT aircraft. It provides nearly the same capabilities at a fraction of the cost and is like an electronic ear in the sky to eavesdrop on RF signal emitters up to 250 km away. EWI has used the maturity of unmanned aerial platforms and software con­trolled radios to produce a new force multiplier. The WISPER WATCH unmanned airborne SIGINT system can be deployed in a small UAV or an AEROSTAT (a deal for the sale of six of these radars was cleared by the US Congress during July 2002 for the purposes of bolstering Islamabad’s counterterrorism capabilities[66]) which is operated as a remote-controlled monitoring station. The receivers are positioned in the airborne platform whereas the workstations and operators are positioned in a ground mission control a few kilometres from the flying platform, out of harm’s way.[67]

Pakistan is also fully aware that technologies like satellite technology make the military establishments more transparent. The nuclear sites of Pakistan are on display on the web. The credit goes to IKONOS, Internet and Federation of American Scientists (FAS). The FAS’ Public Eye project is acquiring imagery of nuclear and missile facilities around the world. The high-resolution images, acquired by the FAS from the space-imaging IKONOS satellite, show details of Pakistan’s weapons facilities previously known only to the secret intelligence world. These imageries on the website (www. fas. org) cover two of Pakistan’s most important special weapon facilities, the plutonium production reactor at Khushab, and the nearby medium-range missile base at Sargodha.

Plutonium from the Khushab reactor could probably be used in lightweight nuclear warheads for the M-11 missiles at Sargodha, which Pakistan acquired from China in the early 1990s. The satellite imagery indicates that construction of the Khushab reactor is essentially complete and that Pakistan has built a dozen garages for mobile missile launchers and associated vehicles at Sargodha [11]. Pakistan should not look at these imageries as leakage of a secret but should use them towards formulating confidence building measures (CBMs) with India in the nuclear arena. Such transparency in Pakistan’s defence activities may help in bringing peace in the region.