Important to integrate technology for border guarding for better efficiencies
R.C. Sharma
India has land borders of 15,106.70 kilometres spread over 17 states. All Indian states except Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Delhi and Haryana are frontline states. India is surrounded by Pakistan to the West, China to the North and Northeast, Nepal and Bhutan to the Northeast and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the East. India has two sets of land borders–open and closed borders. Indo-China, Indo-Nepal, Indo-Bhutan and Indo-Myanmar are open borders, which comprise 50.88 per cent of land borders. Indo-Pakistan and Indo-Bangladesh borders are closed borders, which comprise 49.12 percent of the land border.
In all likelihood soon the Indo-Myanmar border may be fenced and upgraded to a closed border. There are integrated check posts manned by customs and immigration monitoring cross-border trade and people-to-people movement and by border guarding Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). Indian border guarding is manpower intensive. Baby steps are being taken to bring technology into border guarding, compelled by hostile adversary actions. There is a need to introduce and integrate technology into border guarding. It is a fact that the terrain configuration of land borders requires high footfall of boots on the ground, which cannot be dispensed. However, the present hostile border security scenario requires border-guarding CAPFs to realise the importance of technology, and introduce and integrate technology into border guarding to strengthen border security.
Before introducing and integrating technology into border guarding, border guarding forces need an in-depth threat analysis along with terrain and weather analysis of borders. An in-depth qualitative analysis is required for the introduction of the best technology suited to address present and anticipated threats. What are the threats to Indian borders? Threats peculiar to border guarding are drugs and arms smuggling through land and aerial routes, infiltration, illegal migration, cattle smuggling, smuggling of local produce and plundering of forest wealth on eastern borders, nibbling and encroachment. The technology has to be in consonance with these threats. That the government is cognisant of threats to border security is reflected in the reply to Lok Sabha unstarred question No. 4460 from Harsimrat Kaur Badal concerning the smuggling of arms and narcotics. She asked if the government is aware that smuggling of arms and narcotics is rampantly being deployed through drones from Pakistan through the Punjab border. And whether the government has made any assessment or report to gauge the gravity of the types of smuggling carried out through drones through the India-Pakistan border and details thereof, steps taken so far and steps government proposes to take to prevent smuggling of arms and narcotics through drones.
Minister of state for home affairs Nishith Pramanik replied that drones are being used for smuggling of arms/ narcotics across the India -Pakistan border in Punjab. In the last three years until 28 February 2023, 28 incidents of recovery of drones involved in the smuggling of arms and narcotics have been detected, involving recovery of 125.174 kilograms of heroin. He listed generalised steps for effective border domination, like the erection of a border fence, border flood lights, detailed vulnerability mapping to strengthen surveillance by vehicles, special surveillance equipment, integrated surveillance technology equipped with CCTV/ PTZ cameras, IR sensors and alarm systems with command and control systems. He further said that anti-drone systems have been deployed in the border area of Punjab to counter drone threats and further an anti-rogue drone SOP (standard operating procedure) has been formulated and circulated to field units and is being followed.
The minister’s reply only talked of what is already in place for strengthening border guarding and nowhere talked of the need for introducing and integrating modern technology in border guarding. The need is to introduce modern technology and integrate it in border guarding to thwart existing and foreseeable threats to border security.
Threats generally emanate from across the borders. There are multiple threats which need to be tackled and after threat analysis, borders need to be threat mapped. Threat mapping will involve the identification of areas and routes prone to drugs and arms smuggling, infiltration and illegal migration. Based upon threat mapping, suitable technologies available in the market need to be introduced and integrated to strengthen border guarding. Post threat mapping and identification of sensitive patches and gaps, layers of interdiction through technology, supported by manpower, need to be worked out to provide depth to border guarding all along the front.
In the process, the first layer of border security surveillance structure should be tactical, unattended ground-based sensors as a system integrated with a communication network. These could be remotely controlled or optical fibre-based sensors, considering the area. However, fibre-based sensors though suitable for all weather may face problems of disruption due to frequent human and equipment movement for farming, since the population presence is right up to the zero line either for farming or for habitation. Sensors may be in the form of infrared (IR) devices, pressure devices, magnetic devices or acoustic devices. These sensors will certainly help in effectively covering gaps, likely infiltration and exfiltration routes and probable illegal migration spots, and should be able to provide all-weather coverage for about 150-400 metres. These sensors need to be connected to a command and control mechanism for real-time monitoring and real-time action.
The second layer of the border security surveillance structure should be infrared laser walls along suspected routes to cover gaps and vulnerable patches. Laser wall is a mechanism that detects an object cutting across the line of sight between the laser source and detector with an intrusion alarm. The alarm system will alert the men on the ground to neutralise the threat.
The unattended ground sensors and laser walls deployed with the aim to detect and neutralise threats to border security, may not always be able to detect targets. Targets may not always move through them, as a vast area is available to be exploited for smuggling and antinational activities. Therefore, the third layer of ground-based border security surveillance structure has to be optical surveillance for day and night. Optical surveillance needs to comprise of modern, state-of-the-art surveillance devices. These consist of portable night goggles, binoculars, monoculars, telescopes, hand-held thermal imagers – both static and moveable and PTZ cameras at identified vulnerable stretches with a command and control centre to monitor the feed and take remedial steps to address threats. The effective integration of an optical surveillance grid with boots on the ground will make the surveillance spectrum widespread and enhance real-time reaction capabilities, thus strengthening border security, especially on the Indo-Pakistan and Indo-Bangladesh borders which are considered hostile. Optical surveillance will act as a deterrence on open borders. The present day need is to go for state-of-the-art modern night surveillance equipment. Unattended ground sensors, IR walls and optical surveillance ably supported by boots on the ground will leave little scope for blind spots in border guarding.
In addition to the smuggling of drugs through land borders, the Indo-Pakistan border especially in Punjab, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), is grappling with rampant smuggling of drugs through the aerial route, aided by drones. Generally, the quantum of drugs/goods seized on the borders is just 10-20 per cent of the quantum smuggled. Frequencies up to 10 gigahertz are open and can be used by anyone. Hence, drones operating from across the border, along western borders in Punjab and J&K operate in the frequency range of 2.4 to 5.7 gigahertz. These are made by DJI, a Chinese company with a worldwide footprint. The operating range depends upon drone specification and may go up to 20 kilometres. As per available reports, Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence in collaboration with Pakistan rangers has established six drone centres to aid in crossing the border. Presently man on the ground is the main counter against drones, who retaliate with fire on hearing the hovering sound or seeing the drone. The chances of success are low. It is presumed that in most cases adversary drones are able to accomplish the mission successfully, thus compromising border security.
The fourth layer in the border security surveillance structure needs to be an anti-drone system. It is a fact that technology can be countered effectively only with technology. Indian borders are rampantly prone to drugs and arms smuggling through drones. These drones can only be effectively neutralised with anti-drone or counter-drone systems, which have effective detection, classification and neutralisation capabilities. These need installation along sensitive corridors/stretches identified based on analytical assessment of frequently used routes. How does one go about that? These systems are locally available and can be easily installed. They can be ground-based or vehicle-based. Anti-drone system is a radar-based system that tackles hostile drones by installing radars along identified corridors or stretches. These radars in all likelihood should be passive. Passive radars do not emit electromagnetic transmission and hence are undetectable. They have automatic detection and neutralisation capabilities. They generally will be able to neutralise a hostile drone once it is either near or inside the international border. These radars are particularly efficient for detection of small targets at low altitude and low speeds and are able to deliver an alert in case a drone or unmanned aerial vehicle intrudes in a protected area. They can be deployed in standalone mode or integrated in a wide command and control system. There is no doubt that anti-drone systems have exorbitant costs; however, there is an urgent need to deploy these systems all along the Punjab and Jammu border including the line of control, and certainly, the menace of drug smuggling through drones can be stopped by anti-drone/ counter drone systems. Unless anti-drone systems are in place, it will be an unequal/asymmetrical fight for men on the ground to check and prevent the menace of drones from across the border. Time is running out.
Along with anti-drone systems, the next layer in the border security surveillance structure should be tactical drones and battlefield surveillance radars. Tactical drones are made for surveillance, strategic intelligence gathering and covert and targeted combat missions. In border security, tactical drones can be used for surveillance and intelligence gathering to provide real-time inputs to strengthen border security. These need to be operated by target-based teams. There is a need to provide at least two to three drones in each battalion area. In addition to drones, border-guarding forces also need to be equipped with man-portable, battery-powered battlefield surveillance radars to provide all-weather surveillance. These radars need to be lightweight, capable of searching a given sector, detecting and classifying targets like men or a group of men walking or crawling and so on. These need authorisation at the scale of one per battalion. Drones and battlefield surveillance radars (BFSRs) will increase the surveillance range of border guards. Integrating drones and BFSRs into the border security surveillance structure will certainly be a big step in strengthening border security. It will also give qualitative respite to extremely stretched men on the ground.
In addition to all the above measures, there is a need to install cargo scanners for security check of vehicles at all integrated check posts which will help faster movement of vehicles and also strengthen security. On closed borders, the movement ahead of fencing is regulated through gates. There is a need to make the gate management system secure and user-friendly. Gates are a major source of conflict between border guarding forces and farmers. There is a need to have deep-frame metal detectors at operational gates in addition to having additional manpower for physical frisking at gates. If border guarding forces can manage the rush of farmers during the sowing and harvesting season without undue delay, a major cause of the adversarial relationship will be addressed, strengthening border security and offering respite to men deployed at the gates.
Technology is a force multiplier when ably integrated into border guarding, by creating command, control and reaction mechanisms. There is a saying that it is not the machine but the man behind the machine or the brain operating the machine that matters. Technology can revolutionise border guarding provided it is effectively enmeshed with those physically guarding the borders. This integration has to be with men on the ground who need to be trained to operate the multi-layered technical border security surveillance structure and ensure real-time retaliation to neutralise targets. The successful Hamas raid on Israel on 7 October 2023 demonstrated that over-dependence on technology can play havoc with border security by rendering physical barriers and technological superiority, ineffective. Therefore, it has to be a blend of technology along with boots on the ground. Replacing one with the other may prove counterproductive, jeopardising border security in case of any swift and surprise hostile action. The catchword is a balance between technology and boots on the ground. The thought process should be for effective integration of technology with manpower and not dispensing manpower for technology, which may prove counterproductive in the short, and long run.