Space dominance key to future warfare, says CDS; DRDO chief urges whole-of-nation push to close gaps with rivals
At the Indian DefSpace Symposium, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) stated that space dominance has become central to future warfare, warning that failure to ...
What Happened
- At the Indian DefSpace Symposium, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) stated that space dominance has become central to future warfare, warning that failure to achieve space superiority means fighting "blind" while dominance allows fighting "with foresight."
- The Chairman of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) identified space as the dominant domain that will determine outcomes of future conflicts, describing catching up with rival nations as a "Herculean challenge" requiring urgent national investment.
- Both officials called for a "whole-of-nation" approach — integrating government agencies, private industry, and the armed forces — to close India's capability gap with rival powers whose military space programmes are expanding rapidly.
- Key focus areas cited include space situational awareness (SSA) to protect India's space-based assets, the restricted (military) service of the NavIC navigation system, and space-based surveillance and imaging radar development.
- Officials noted the traditional boundary between civilian and military space applications is eroding; India's booming private space sector is now viewed as a strategic asset for accelerating military space capabilities.
Static Topic Bridges
Defence Space Agency and India's Military Space Architecture
India's Defence Space Agency (DSA) was established on June 1, 2019, as a tri-service agency under the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS). The DSA is headquartered in Bengaluru and integrates personnel and assets from the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force to manage space-based military capabilities, including satellite intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). The DSA achieved operational status in November 2019. Its creation was directly precipitated by India's demonstration of kinetic anti-satellite (ASAT) capability in March 2019 under Mission Shakti — which placed India in the select club of space warfare nations alongside the USA, Russia, and China.
- DSA established: June 1, 2019; operational: November 2019
- Mandate: space warfare operations, satellite intelligence, ISR asset management
- Mission Shakti (March 27, 2019): India successfully destroyed a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite using an ASAT missile — the fourth nation globally to demonstrate this capability
- The DSA operates under HQ IDS, which is under the Chief of Defence Staff (created December 2019)
- Complementary to DSA is the Defence Space Research Organisation (DSRO), which handles the R&D side of military space technologies
Connection to this news: The CDS and DRDO chief's emphasis on space dominance directly addresses the capability remit of the DSA; calls for a "whole-of-nation push" signal that the DSA alone — with its current scale — is considered insufficient to match rival capability trajectories.
NavIC: India's Indigenous Satellite Navigation System
The Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) is India's regional satellite navigation system, developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). NavIC provides two levels of service: a Standard Positioning Service (SPS) for civilian use, and a Restricted Service (RS) encrypted for strategic and military applications. NavIC operates through a constellation of satellites covering India and extending approximately 1,500 km beyond its borders. The system provides position accuracy of better than 20 metres for the standard service and under 10 metres for the restricted service.
- NavIC declared operational: 2018 (standard service)
- Coverage area: India and surrounding region (~1,500 km buffer)
- Satellites: the constellation currently has 7 satellites in geostationary and geosynchronous orbits; expansion to 12 satellites planned
- NavIC's military (Restricted Service) operates on an encrypted signal — unlike the US GPS civilian signal (which is accessible to adversaries)
- Reducing dependence on US GPS for military operations is a key strategic rationale for NavIC
Connection to this news: The DRDO chief's specific mention of NavIC's restricted service in the context of military space capability reflects India's strategy to achieve navigation independence — dependency on foreign GPS systems is a recognised vulnerability in high-intensity conflict.
Space Domain Awareness and the Anti-Satellite (ASAT) Dimension
Space Domain Awareness (SDA), also called Space Situational Awareness (SSA), refers to the ability to detect, track, identify, and predict the behaviour of objects in space — including adversary satellites, debris, and potential threats. As satellite constellations become essential for military communications, navigation, reconnaissance, and missile warning, the ability to surveil space and protect one's own assets (and potentially deny adversary use) has become a core military competency. The 2019 Outer Space Policy of India and the Draft Space Activities Bill (2017) outline the civilian framework; the military dimension is governed through the DSA. The Outer Space Treaty (OST) of 1967 — ratified by India — prohibits the placing of nuclear weapons or other WMDs in space but does not prohibit conventional weapons in space or ASAT capabilities.
- Outer Space Treaty (OST): 1967; India is a signatory; prohibits WMDs in space but not conventional weapons
- ASAT capability nations: USA (1985 test), Russia (1970s-era), China (2007 test causing major debris), India (2019, Mission Shakti)
- India's Mission Shakti used a Modified Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV) Mk-II to destroy Microsat-R at ~283 km altitude in LEO
- Space debris concern: China's 2007 ASAT test created approximately 3,000 trackable debris objects — India deliberately kept Mission Shakti at a low altitude to minimise long-lived debris
Connection to this news: The call for enhanced space situational awareness directly responds to the threat of adversary ASAT attacks on India's satellite constellation; SSA is the prerequisite for both defensive manoeuvres and any retaliatory posture in space conflict.
The Whole-of-Nation Approach to Defence Technology
The "whole-of-nation" concept in defence refers to integrating national resources — government R&D (DRDO), public sector undertakings (HAL, BEL, BEML, MDL), private defence industry, academic institutions, and start-ups — into a unified national capability-building effort. India's iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence) initiative, launched in 2018, and the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 with its Atmanirbhar Bharat provisions reflect this shift. In space specifically, the opening of the space sector to private participation (2020 Space Reforms) through the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) provides the institutional mechanism for civilian-military convergence.
- IN-SPACe established: 2020, under the Department of Space — acts as a single-window for private space sector authorisation
- iDEX framework: launched 2018 under DPIIT in collaboration with MoD — provides grants to start-ups for defence technology solutions
- Defence capital expenditure (2025-26 Union Budget): approximately Rs 1.80 lakh crore
- India's defence R&D budget: approximately 25% of total defence capital; historically dominated by DRDO
- Private sector space companies (e.g., Skyroot, Agnikul, Pixxel) are now considered part of India's strategic technology base
Connection to this news: The DRDO chief's call for a whole-of-nation push explicitly argues that DRDO alone — or even the government sector alone — cannot close the space capability gap; private industry, academia, and start-ups must be formally integrated into the military space architecture.
Key Facts & Data
- Defence Space Agency established: June 1, 2019, Bengaluru (tri-service, under HQ IDS)
- Mission Shakti ASAT test: March 27, 2019 — satellite destroyed at ~283 km LEO
- India: 4th nation to demonstrate kinetic ASAT capability (after USA, Russia, China)
- NavIC operational: 2018; military Restricted Service (RS) uses encrypted signal
- NavIC constellation: 7 satellites (geostationary + geosynchronous orbits); expansion to 12 planned
- Outer Space Treaty: 1967; prohibits WMDs in space, not conventional weapons or ASATs
- IN-SPACe created: 2020 (single-window for private space sector)
- iDEX launched: 2018 (start-up grants for defence innovation)
- India's defence capital expenditure (2025-26): approximately Rs 1.80 lakh crore
- CDS post created: December 2019 (first CDS: General Bipin Rawat)
- Current CDS: General Anil Chauhan
- DRDO Chairman: Dr Samir V. Kamat