Northern Command of the Army will hold a symposium to identify cutting-edge technology requirement

Officials stated on Wednesday that the Indian Army’s Northern Command will convene a two-day symposium in Udhampur, J&K, to identify the cutting-edge technologies it requires to address its operational issues.

The Command’s “North Tech Symposium 2022” will begin on May 6, they announced.

According to them, the Command is mainly active in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir, as well as critical areas of eastern Ladakh.

The Army’s Northern Command is hosting the Northern Tech Symposium 2022 on May 6 and 7 in Udhampur in an effort to promote the “Make in India” strategy in defence technology, according to Northern Command defence spokesperson Colonel Abhinav Navneet.

The Symposium, he said, focuses on the government’s aim of defence technology self-reliance.

“North Tech Symposium 2022 will display cutting-edge technology that will provide solutions to the Northern Command’s operational issues,” Colonel Navneet stated.

Army said they want to work with the corporate sector, DPSUs, R&D organisations such as DRDO, and academia to develop, fabricate, and induct technologically advanced systems to satisfy the Northern Command’s operational needs.

“Any systems that are determined to be suitable will be procured through the Army Commander’s Special Financial Powers (ACSFP),” one of the officials explained.

They stated that a web interface is accessible to familiarise, orient, and help interested parties in registering for the North Tech Symposium 2022, which will take place on May 6 and 7.

According to a statement from the Northern Command, the North Tech symposium is an annual event held in Udhampur that provides an effective opportunity for knowledge diffusion among various stakeholders with the goal of raising awareness of contemporary technologies and hardware solutions available from the spectrum of manufacturers under Raksha Atmanirbharta.

The Symposium will pave the road for Northern Command to select appropriate technologies and products for subsequent trials and induction, as well as facilitate engagement with the field Army to direct their goods toward specific operational requirements, they said.

“We encourage participation and product exhibition in this event so that all ranks can improve their technical knowledge and thresholds for conducting effective and smooth operations,” the officer stated.

The symposium’s goals, according to the organisers, are to improve the participants’ technological knowledge base through joint Army-Industry participation and to familiarise them with prevalent state-of-the-art technologies and Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) solutions available in defence products for operational exploitation in various domains in Northern Command.

The officer explained, “It is to develop an effective eco-system for encouraging an atmosphere for knowledge dissemination on contemporary defence technology and products available globally as well as made locally.”

Lt Gen S S Hasabnis will offer the keynote talk on ‘new technologies for boosting operational efficiency at northern borders,’ while Northern Command chief Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi will make the opening address.