The armed forces need to be involved in the cyber domain to secure it and to develop comprehensive deterrence capabilities, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff Air Marshal P.P. Reddy said on Tuesday.
Cyberspace was an "intricate constituent of national power, having a peaceful as well as military dimension", Reddy said in an address at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA).
With militaries adopting net-centric warfare and migrating towards complex information and communication systems, there were elevated risks of cyber attacks, he said.
Cyberspace was also witnessing "a race for development and deployment of cyber weapons", resulting in a major security concern for countries across the world, he added.
Reddy pointed out that cyberspace was now an arena for competition, cooperation as well as conflict.
Cyber information technologies have added a new dimension to various components of national power, especially knowledge resources, creating new capabilities, as well as new sources of vulnerability, he noted.
Cyber technologies were intertwined across the key components of national power. They act as force multiplier, creating new synergies, unleashing new forces, sometimes with disruptive effects, he said.
India, with over 400 million internet users, has an enormous stake in a safe and secure cyberspace, Reddy said.
Earlier, in his welcome address, IDSA Director General Jayant Prasad said cyberspace was vulnerable to attacks that can be fast, silent, inexpensive to mount, and devastating in their impact.
"A major goal for us is to increase public awareness of the risks that we face today," he said.
Around 30 speakers from 17 countries are taking part in the three-day conference to analyse international and regional responses to cyber security and to discuss the scope for cooperation.
