LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY IN COUNTER INSURGENCY
OPERATIONS
Introduction
21
st
Century is characterised by phenomenal growth of technology specially Information
Technology (IT). The technology is becoming cheaper, easy to operate and provide facilities
which could not be even imagined decade earlier. Technology is also a great leveller. “With
the possible exceptions of night-vision devices, Global Positioning Systems, and shoulder-
fired missiles,” writes retired Major General Robert Scales, a former commander of the US
Army War College, “there is no appreciable technological advantage for an American
infantryman when fighting the close battle against even the poorest, most primitive enemy.”
Technology is available to security forces as well as terrorists. Today’s enemies are dynamic,
unpredictable, diverse, fluid, networked and
constantly evolving leading to complex problem sets. Small networked organizations like
insurgents are very good at adopting technology whereas hierarchical bureaucratic
organizations like Army takes its own time to exploit its benefits. Since Counterinsurgency
Operations (CI Ops) is fought basically at battalion or below level, we must provide all the
technological support at that level. It is up to us to make use of technology in Counter
Insurgency Operations (CI Ops).
Preview
For leveraging technology in CI Ops we need to look into the aspects of various technologies
specially network technologies, Software Analysis Tools, sensor and weapon related
technologies, how intelligence, the most important factor in any CI Ops can be acquired with
the presently available technologies, creation of dynamic database in respective area of
responsibility and defensive measures. Information Warfare and some cautionary thoughts
also have been discussed.
Network Technology.
The term network technology is referred to as command, control, communication, computer,
intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) technologies in military parlance, as
well as the consumer-oriented technologies that can often provide the functionality needed for
terrorist operations. These network technologies can include connectivity technologies (e.g.,
wireless routers), mobile computing (e.g., laptop computers), personal electronic devices
(e.g., personal digital assistants and cell phones), IT services and Internet access and video
recording, among others. If the primary goal of security forces is to defeat a terrorist
organization in the long run, there may be opportunities to turn the terrorist organization’s use
of network technology tools to the security force’s advantage by exploiting the information that
