Why in news?
Drones were used for the first time to drop explosive devices, triggering blasts inside the Air Force Station’s technical area in Jammu.
Why is this significant?
- Indian authorities reportedly suspect that it was carried out by the Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is patronised by Pakistan.
- There were no casualties at the base.
- But there were at least two more subsequent attempts to use drones to attack military targets.
- The use of drones brought to the fore a troubling new mode of terrorism for the country.
- The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), autonomous weapons systems and robotic soldiers by states in warfare and policing are increasing.
- This has raised moral and practical questions that remain unresolved.
- Non-state actors have quickly adopted these new modes.
What were the similar earlier incidents?
- In 2018, Syrian rebels used homemade drones to attack Russian military bases in Syria.
- The same year, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had a narrow escape after a drone flying towards him exploded a short distance away.
- In 2019, Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for bombing Saudi oil installations using drones.
What advantages do these new modes offer?
- New modes of sabotage and violence enabled by technology reduce costs, while increasing their efficacy.
- They also reduce the risk of identification for terrorists.
- Simultaneously, security agencies would find conventional tools redundant in combating terrorism.
- Terrorism may not even require organisations, as individuals with sufficient motivation and skills can carry out such attacks.
- The key international framework at present for controlling the proliferation of technology that can be weaponised include the Wassenaar Arrangement and Missile Technology Control Regime.
- These are also largely useless in the emerging scenario.
How have states dealt with terro so far?
- States including India have sought to deal with terrorism with a combination of various approaches.
- These include stringent laws, invasive surveillance, harsher policing and offensives against other countries that support terrorist groups.
- This approach has only had limited success in ensuring peace anywhere while the human and material costs have been high.
What is the way forward?
- The new technologies and Artificial Intelligence will make the task of combating terror even more challenging.
- Terror groups do capitalise on state patronage.
- But technology too is enabling them to be autonomous in an unprecedented fashion.
- The entry of drones calls for a more complex response to terrorism.
- Enhanced international cooperation and consensus on the development and deployment of technologies are required to deal with the challenge.
- India can and must take an active role in the process.
Source: The Hindu
