India’s defense minister believes that Blockchain technology is the next step in contemporary warfare. While addressing an envoy of over eight nations on Monday November 4, in a precursor event to February 2020’s India DefExpo conference, the minister said that Blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI) and big data will be needed in the next iteration of combat.
According to the Indian times, the Indian defense minister Rajit Singh said that;
“The role of AI, big data and Blockchain technologies has already revolutionized the existing paradigm of war fighting. The defense industry is undergoing a churning to cope and employ these technologies, in order to safeguard the safety and security of critical infrastructure.”
According to Singh, countries need to develop AI, Blockchain, and Big data competencies since warfare is shifting from air, sea, and land to cyberspace and space. He added that the challenge is ““not just to prepare for contingencies but also to repel threats from multiple sources, and at the same time possess the ability to respond proactively if needed.”
India has had its eye on the Blockchain for a while. The nation’s central bank indicated as far back as 2017 that it was entertaining the idea of an Indian digital rupee. The central bank was later rumored to have created a Blockchain unit to advance the idea. India’s central bank later categorically denied the existence of a Blockchain unit within its ranks.
India is not the first nation looking to Blockchain to bolster its combat competencies. The U.S department of defense is also looking to Blockchain as a tool to aid defense systems. Back in July, the U.S department of defense said that it was looking to develop a Blockchain based cyber security shield. It has also looked to Blockchain to solve some military logistical issues and some food security issues. The Blockchain use cases seem to be piling up, which speaks to the idea that the technology has a big future.
