Byte That Bullet

BYTE THAT BULLET

Better late than never. The Indian Army can finally march on its own software. The Indian Army and the Defence Research & Development Organisation are developing PC-based war games to train officers and men for battle situations. Lieutenant General Vijay Oberoi, GOC-in-C, Army Training Command, has said 'Shatranj', a software to train men at the battalion level, has been developed & commissioned. Also, very soon, another software, 'Sangram', would be at the disposal of the Army's Training Command to train officers and men at the division level.

By next year a comprehensive war game at the corps level would be used by training institutes of the Army, he claimed. The indigenous development of these technologies would help the army cut costs because the officers & men directly learn on computers, reducing dependence on field exercises and training that involve expensive equipment. Lt. Gen. Oberoi claimed that the Army and DRDO have put in extensive research for developing these war games that give the cadet a feel of the real battlefield. "Tomorrow's war will be an IT (Info-Tech) war," he declared. "The Army has already undertaken an extensive computerisation program that is being carried out in a phased manner."

He said that the aim for the next millennium is to make all officers and men computer literate. Another initiative of the Army is to build an intranet, interconnecting all its establishments and camps in the country. He also said that the defence services might also jointly own a satellite. Recently there have been talks regarding this with the Indian Space Research Organisation. Lieutenant General Oberoi, who is also the Colonel of the Maratha Light Infantry, was in Belgaum to attend the 11th Post-War Reunion Ceremony at the Maratha Light Infantry Regimental Centre.