The United Service Institution of India was founded in 1870 by a soldier scholar, Colonel (later Major General) Sir Charles MacGregor. The story of its growth is the story of the growth of the Indian Armed Forces. It was founded for ‘furtherance of interest and knowledge in the art, science and literature of the Defence Services.’
About the Monograph
| This monograph provides a comprehensive examination of the rapidly evolving challenges that the digital and cyber domains pose to India’s national security. It contextualises the transformation of modern warfare, highlighting how digitisation, emerging technologies and the pervasive influence of cyber intermediaries have reshaped the threat landscape. Beginning with an analysis of the global and national economic shift toward digitisation, the work underscores how digital transactions, online financial systems and connected infrastructure create both resilience and vulnerability for India in times of crisis. It further delves into the large-scale generation of citizen data, its exposure to cyberattacks, and the growing manipulation of social media for disinformation, political influence and psychological operations. The monograph provides an in-depth study of new technological threats, including artificial intelligence, surveillance ecosystems, quantum computing, data analytics and their potential misuse by hostile actors. It highlights how adversarial states and non-state groups exploit digital tools to target critical infrastructure, breach sensitive databases, conduct information warfare and amplify societal fractures. The work then explores the military implications of these developments, emphasising data privacy, storage, sovereignty and the risks posed by foreign-owned platforms dominating India’s digital ecosystem. A substantial portion of the monograph evaluates India’s legal and institutional preparedness. It reviews constitutional protections, landmark Supreme Court judgements on privacy, existing cyberlaws such as the Information Technology Act 2000, and the constraints faced by law enforcement in cyberspace. The monograph also assesses national initiatives such as CERT-In, NCIIPC, the National Cyber Coordination Centre and the Defence Cyber Agency, outlining their roles in building a secure cyber architecture. Overall, the publication offers a forward-looking perspective on safeguarding India’s strategic, economic and societal assets against digital-era threats. It calls for strengthened legal frameworks, enhanced cyber capabilities, indigenous technological development, improved inter-agency coordination and a holistic national approach to digital security. As a policy-oriented study, it provides valuable insights for military planners, policymakers, cybersecurity professionals and scholars of emerging warfare. |