The current standoff with China at Doklam plateau clearly brings out the need for interoperability both with Bhutan and Nepal, in addition to other South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations. Unfortunately interoperability has not been strength of the Indian strategic class. On the other hand China, has achieved a high degree of the same with Pakistan, and with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the foe becomes common. This implies that with shared economic interests what may be a two front war for India becomes a single front for the CPEC nations. It shows high levels of understanding between the two nations -- Pakistan and China. Strategic affairs commentator Pravin Sawhney clearly spells a warning, when he writes, “Pakistan and China have high levels of interoperability which is the ability of two armed forces to operate with ease as one whole in a combat environment. This helps strengthen deterrence, manage crises, shape battlefields and win wars. The invigorated Pakistan military – which would be supported by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in all conventional war domains (land, sea, air, space, electromagnetic and cyber) without showing its hand – is the new military threat facing India.” The Indian Navy of course has the Malabar series of exercises in the Indian
Ocean.
As a layman interoperability is a measure of the degree to which various organizations or individuals are able to operate together to achieve a common goal. It operates from top level, with overtones of standardization, integration, cooperation, and even synergy. Interoperability specifics, however, are not well defined. They are often situation-dependent, come in various forms and degrees, and can occur at various levels — strategic, operational, and tactical as well as technological. The key however, is the price, which may be difficult to define, as they consist of military expenditures to enhance interoperability as well as the economic and political costs incurred.
In the military way interoperability is of different nations, to work effectively together given the nature of the forces and the combined military organizational structure. It also deals effectively on how well the combined military organizational structure , the command and control elements can achieve mission accomplishment in a synergized manner, with similar technical capabilities, in short, will SAARC nations fight with Indian rifles, tanks and guns, aircraft, ships and aircraft. The answer is obvious?
In the short term measure there needs to be interoperability which should be seen as a feature of getting on board the ability of different systems and organizations, to exchange information, and computer systems, and signal traffic, in an organized effective manner. Flow of information and processing the same in a viable time frame needs to be a rudimentary step in achieving the first step of interoperability. This will allow decision makers to take better decisions.
The price of interoperability is rather high its national pride but all that needs to be thought through first at the strategic level. There is a political cost and interoperability is a high risk affair, but if India has a special relationship with Nepal and Bhutan, it is but axiomatic to have high levels of interoperability. The down side is of course coordination and collation partners thinking alike. India sent troops to Sri Lanka not once but twice yet does not have an interoperability thinking in built into the strategic culture.
As the environment in the subcontinent changes so do the threat levels, but as Ayn Rand said “he who thinks to tomorrow lives today”. India needs to find answers which do not depend on the brawn, guts and glory of its fighting men but creating a geostrategic culture where success is assured.
(The writer is an Indian Army veteran who has authored books Gorkha: In Search Of Identity and Gorkha: Society and Politics)