DailyPost 2903
LAW & ORDER DRONED?
The recent drone attacks in Manipur give a very clear indication of the wide gap between the two sides in terms of strategy and ever burgeoning chasm between Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities. While there were hardly any successes in battle to usher in normalcy, the weaponizing of hobby drones takes the Manipur conflict to a totally different level both by way of use of technology rarely used within a country’s population in peace time and more importantly, drones are the first signs of a transnational threat making its way into Manipur.
The awesome presence of paramilitary was to tilt the balance of the battle in favor of the security forces and the government. How much of this has been achieved so far, and what is way ahead, if any, can only remain only in the realm of conjecture. The destruction of three India Reserve Battalion bunkers in Imphal East district around 2.30 am on Monday, does not augur well for the battle ahead. Militants have beaten the grey heads of India’s security and governance establishment. The attack was close on the heels of militants using the same strategy from hilltops targeting a couple of villages in Imphal West, leaving 2 dead and 5 wounded.
What is the tech behind, range and potency behind it? These drones are rotor-fitted quadcopters, known to be versatile UAVs generally used for photography and recreational use. It can be used to carry ordinance payload too. As per experts, such drones can drop and trigger explosives. Can weaponizing of such drones be done on the fly? For sure no. It needs training and gaining expertise of a professional level; to create, operate and trigger and damage successfully. That the militants are able to do so is a matter of grave concern. These drones can be operated in a range of 500 meters to 5 kms and with slight modification, it can be increased to 10-15 kms. Really potent indeed!
The challenge now is to adapt to this new world of aerial assaults and to create strategies; get tools and create expertise to counter it effectively. The bigger challenge is the likely route and mode of sourcing by the militants. Security officials in the know of things say that these drones are not procured locally. That the weapons, drones and the bombs used are possibly making their way from the unmonitored India-Myanmar border. The challenge there of different kinds given the fact that the boots on the ground are few and fencing is missing. It is certainly a one of its kind internal security challenge.
DRONES CAN CHANGE THE FACE OF ANY BATTLE; INTERNAL STRIFE OR A FULL-BLOWN WAR.
Sanjay Sahay
Have a nice evening.