Go for Cost-Effective Steps to Tackle Drones

Context: Considering June 27 terror attack on Jammu airfield using two quadcopter drones, India should strive to ensure fool-proof protective counter measures while giving a clear strategic message to Pakistan.

Drones as new preferred tool of terrorism

• Benefit of deniability and economy of effort to terrorists: 
• Ability to easily bypass security checks: Low-technology drones, due to their small size and ‘dumb’ nature, pose special challenges for detection and engagement by conventional systems.
• Employing ‘off-the-shelf’ autonomous drones equipped with GPS sensors to bypass checkpoints on land route as well as perimeter fencing and protective measures.
• Multi-prone applications: Delivering explosives, smuggling of weapons across borders etc.

Emerging security challenges before India

• Sudden escalation in terrorist capacity and efforts: As drones had enhanced potential of wreaking damage to sensitive targets and assets. 
• E.g. as experienced at Russian bases of Hmeimim, Tartus in Syria and Caracas (Venezuela) in 2018 and in Saudi oilfields in 2019.
• Furthering Pakistan’s proxy war against India: Introduced another low-cost means of carrying out attacks, and with provision of deniability the responsibility of attack will be put on non-state actors.
• Strategic intentions: diverting capital funds from those aimed at modernising Indian military to further beefing up protective measures opposite the Pakistan borders.

Lessons to learn from recent drone attack

• Wake up call for security establishments: next attack(s) may be more sophisticated and lethal, using better technology and more dangerous payloads.
• Care should be taken to ensure that our response is measured and nuanced, in keeping with the actual threat that has unfolded or may evolve.
• Initiate building fool-proof protective counter measures: for retaliation across multiple dimensions if it continues with such misdeeds.
• Review security of defence and other sensitive establishments close to border: With focus on aerial threat from drones.
• Thrust should also be on low-cost, easily deployable physical measures which would be easier to implement.
• Coordination with Air Force: Air defence assets and counter-drone measures of the other services should be coordinated by the Air Force.
• Employ technology-based counter-drone systems: Counter-drone technology involving radars, acoustic mechanisms, radio frequency devices and electro-optical methodology, or a combination of such sensors, should be deployed at the earliest.
• Priority for such induction should be given to sensitive installations with high-value assets close to the border.