The drone strike that killed former al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, days before United States (US) House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan is clear signalling from Washington. One, that the US will unleash its entire technological might to combat adversaries. Two, that the inference that US military power and technological panache are on the wane may be wishful rhetoric.
The ability to take out a critical portion of a building, with the entire structure still intact, is a spectacular feat of military precision. It is also an extraordinary accomplishment of techno-military prowess, propelled greatly by proficiencies in microelectronics. While most of the conversations around the R9X missile focus on the method of destruction — the halo of blades that emerge from the missile right before impact to shred the target or the precise amount of explosive that minimises collateral damage in a car or a mud hut — it is equally important to explore the wider swathe of precision technologies that drive these precision missions.
The missile is launched from a platform such as the General Atomics MQ9 Reaper, the missile gets its initial guidance from inertial navigation — Global Positioning System (GPS) or Inertial Navigation Systems (INSs) – which determines the approximate location of the target, a Seeker System, which makes the guidance in the terminal phase infinitely precise, and a proximity fuse, which tells the missile exactly when to activate, thereby executing the mission with telling accuracy.
The R9X missile is but one of a large family of extremely precise, mission-specific missiles that the US military has been developing since World War II. Another incredible example is the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)’s Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance (EXACTO) Programme — an advanced bullet that is so evolved in precision guidance, that it will always strike, even if it’s a moving target.
These weapons are marvels of technology that have emerged from the Department of Defense’s continued investments in advanced semiconductors. The question that beckons is: How can India build and deploy advanced weapons such as the R9X or the Spice (the Israeli missile used in the 2019 Balakot strike)? The answer is clear: By building a strong domestic edifice in semiconductors and microelectronics.
Chips (made of silicon or other materials such as gallium arsenide) power every imaginable electronic device — from phones to cars. But they also power almost every critical piece of equipment used by the military — from missiles to radars. The Ukraine conflict and the Israel-Gaza escalation tell us that ultimately tactical prowess and strategic imagination come down to raw capability and proficiencies in microelectronics.
By way of example, a recent Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) report profiles as many as 450 microelectronic components that currently power 27 Russian systems in Ukraine. Currently, India imports all of its semiconductors: Approximately, $7 billion a year is spent on these imports, of which $4 billion goes to China.
While India houses nearly 20% of the global semiconductor talent pool, almost all of that manpower is working as back-end support for foreign companies. For an atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India), we need a Bharat that is atmanirbhar in semiconductors and microelectronics, specifically in the strategic military domain.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s focus on transitioning India from chip-taker to chip-maker and the launch of the Indian semiconductor mission are laudable, the absence of participation from the strategic community is palpable. In the US and China, strategic development is the front and centre of their semiconductor programmes. Every single item used by the Indian military — from simple ground observation devices to sophisticated ground stations, communications, radars, and missile guidance — requires a string of semiconductor devices, 100% of which are currently imported.
As technology denial regimes across the globe proliferate, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Defence Public Sector Units (DPSUs), and Indian private companies will be at the mercy of foreign semiconductor companies and their complex export control procedures, thereby denying access to cutting-edge technologies and having to make do with generations-old products.
This is both a glaring vulnerability and a huge opportunity. We need to step up our ambitions.
First, as Quad starts to focus increasingly on technology, this partnership can become a “green corridor” for strategic technologies, where having end-user certification becomes an all-access pass to foundries located in Quad countries.
Second, the creation of a dual use/strategic wing within India’s semiconductor mission. While the current semiconductor mission places a great deal of emphasis on building foundries (as it should), India’s sweet spot may turn out to be fabless — building high-end chip design companies that serve the world. The DLI (design-linked incentive) and chip-2-startup schemes are welcome, but the inclusion of strategic and military stakeholders in the dialogue is an absolute imperative.
Third, tying up the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY)’s efforts with our strategic-military initiatives may help unleash a new wave of high-end chip companies in India. The ministry of defence (MOD)’s iDEX and DRDO’s Technology Development Fund (TDF) Fund are now well-oiled machines that can provide adequate incentives to the domestic industry to take on these complex challenges.
Fourth, concrete steps that go beyond seminar obeisance. It is far harder and more expensive for new chip companies to get started in the West. Silicon Valley has since long become a software valley. We are in the midst of a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build critical technologies in India for the world. It will not only boost our economy but also open a valuable geostrategic conduit for our friends and allies.
PM Modi has spoken passionately about Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav as the beginning of Amrit Kaal. The prayas (aspiration) to invigorate our semiconductor prowess in the strategic military realm, for a truly Atmanirbhar Bharat, needs to begin now.
Lt General Raj Shukla retired recently as Army commander, Army Training Command (ARTRAC), and is currently a member, UPSC
The views expressed are personal
(With inputs from agencies)