Churning on increasing the space and cyber warfare capabilities going on in the army, threats have increased in these areas all over the world

With the move towards the formation of three theater commands, the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) is mulling over further expansion and upgradation of its cyber and space warfare capabilities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the formation of the Defense Cyber Agency and Defense Space Agency five years ago to build India's offensive capability. These agencies are headed by officers of the rank of Major General of the Army.
A government source said that with the growing use of the cyber domain in warfare, the DMA is looking at the possibility of further expansion of the cyber agency and strengthening it to meet the challenges. The war in Ukraine has seen considerable use of cyberspace, and so has our own experience. He said that in recent years several launches and other deployments have been made in space by enemy countries. We also need to strengthen our capabilities in the space domain to help theater commands assess and respond to threats.
Sources said that along with defense cyber and space agencies, the established civilian agencies have also made considerable progress in their capabilities in the last few years. But due to increasing global activities and rapid weaponization in these areas, there is a need to upgrade and enhance the capacity of both agencies. The forces are looking to have permanent and long-term cyber and space experts in these agencies so that they can benefit from their expertise over a longer period of time.
In view of the need for a significant increase in the size of these agencies, they may also be brought under officers of the rank of Lieutenant General. It may be noted that the DMA, which functions under the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), has been entrusted with the task of formation of theater commands by the government. Discussions are on for this and its framework may be finalized soon.