![\"Space](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-130478607,imgsize-108084,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/cds-at-3rd-edition-of-future-warfare-course.jpg\" "\\"<p>.<\/p>\\"")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nNEW DELHI: Emphasising that space is a strategic domain today, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan said on Thursday that \u201cif we fail in space, we will be forced to fight blind. However, if we dominate in space, we will fight with foresight\u201d.Making a virtual statement at Indian DefSpace Symposium titled \u201cStrengthening India’s Defence and Space Industry Synergy\u201d here, Gen Chouhan said, \u201cTechnology is no longer just an enabler. It’s reshaping the very calculus of power. In this emerging paradigm, space is no longer a support function. It’s a strategic field that influences defence, escalation control and war-fighting outcomes.\u201dAmid media reports that Iran has integrated China’s BeiDou navigation satellite system to boost the accuracy of its missiles and drones targeting US and Israeli assets, CDS said, \u201cSpace has evolved into a derivative capability, where services generated by one nation can be leveraged by multiple actors, state as well as non-state alike. This fundamentally affects the application of military force, as is evident in the Iran-US-Israel conflict…This democratisation of space capability is both an opportunity and a strategic vulnerability.\u201dAt the event, DRDO chairman Samir V Kamat called for a \u201cwhole-of-nation\u201d approach to close India’s capability gap with rivals whose space programmes are expanding at an alarming pace. He, however, stressed that catching up will be a \u201cHerculean challenge\u201d without greater investment and collaboration.While Isro remains the lead agency for the civilian space programme, Kamat said DRDO has been entrusted with addressing military aspects of space after the formation of the Defence Space Agency. Kamat made it clear that while some \u201cspace technologies can still be sourced from abroad, several areas remain restricted and require indigenous development\u201d.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n