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Corps of Signals gears up to face a nuclear threat

The Indian army Corps of Signals is creating "firewalls" to deal with electromagnetic pulses generated during a nuclear explosion, Lt Gen Prakash Gokarn, signals officer- in-chief, told Asia Defence News International.

The EMP released by a nuclear explosion can affect the command, control and communication network.

In an interview to ADNI, Lt Gen Gokarn said, ''The corps of signals is aware of the lurking danger to our automated information systems in the nuclear age and is busy creating firewalls against any attempt to go for the nation's 'electronic jugular'."

The corps, which is celebrating the 88th anniversary of its Raising Day today, keeps a surveillance on the electromagnetic spectrum and works with various systems to jam enemy communications, surveillance and weapons control systems.

Lt Gen Gokarn said the corps has been in the forefront to enable the nation to swiftly absorb state-of-the-art technology and acquire technical proficiency and improve human resources for three types of force-multipliers -- electronic warfare, signals intelligence and information technology. This was proved when India conducted the second series of nuclear tests at Pokhran last May.

As part of the army's drive to create an information technology superhighway by 2005 AD the corps is formulating a major plan to upgrade communications in the northern theatre with the induction of VSATs, light-weight radios, mini-EPABXs and solar panels.

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