Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09NEWDELHI2116
2009-10-16 11:20:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy New Delhi
Cable title:  

India Pursues Homeland Security Technologies

Tags:  KSCA TSPL PGOV PRIL PTER ECON ECPS SOCI IN 
pdf how-to read a cable
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R 161120Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8274
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
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RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 8539
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 002116 

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR OES/PCI, OES/STC, OES/SAT, OES/EGC, EEB/CIP, AND SCA/INS
STATE FOR STAS
DOE FOR INTERNATIONAL
STATE PASS TO NSF FOR INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KSCA TSPL PGOV PRIL PTER ECON ECPS SOCI IN
SUBJECT: India Pursues Homeland Security Technologies

REF: New Delhi 2007

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 002116

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR OES/PCI, OES/STC, OES/SAT, OES/EGC, EEB/CIP, AND SCA/INS
STATE FOR STAS
DOE FOR INTERNATIONAL
STATE PASS TO NSF FOR INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KSCA TSPL PGOV PRIL PTER ECON ECPS SOCI IN
SUBJECT: India Pursues Homeland Security Technologies

REF: New Delhi 2007


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: During a spirited discussion at an October 9
Federation of India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)- hosted
conference on Science and Technology (S&T) for Homeland Security,
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Secretary G.K. Pillai acknowledged
the need for changes to make the government of India (GOI) as
adaptable as the terrorists it is facing. Secretary Pillai
highlighted Indian market opportunities in the security technologies
sector, and his hopes to link industry with the end users that need
its products. Recent MHA and Ministry of Science and Technology
(MoST) activities suggest this is a growing market and a ripe
opportunity for U.S. engagement. However, Post notes that
technology advances will have limited effect on preventing terrorism
if India fails to effectively address policy and procedural
deficiencies as well. END SUMMARY.


MHA LOOKS TO TECHNOLOGY FOR COUNTERTERRORISM SOLUTIONS


2. (U) Secretary Pillai said at the FICCI-sponsored event that the
terrorism threat in India is huge and that India faces a
deteriorating security environment. He announced that the
Government has several big projects underway, including establishing
the National Intelligence Grid and upgrading the "NIC" (Note: he did
not provide any further information on this organization. End note)
into a National Counter-Terrorism Center, but said that there is
still a long way to go because India is dealing with an adversary
that is equally as smart and much more adaptable. He noted that the
government is not technology savvy, that the procurement process is
cumbersome and ineffective, that technology rarely makes it into
operational use, and that the MHA is just now coming to grips with
how to update its procurement process to take advantage of new
technologies.


3. (U) While the Indian market for security technologies is huge,

the challenge is to effectively match industry and end users to
produce products tailored for "the Indian situation." To address
this, Secretary Pillai said he has instructed the police and
paramilitary forces to set up dedicated technology wings to identify
their current and future technology-related needs. He also
announced the establishment of a task force to be headed by former
MHA Secretary Mr. Madhukar Gupta that will figure out how to link
industry and government. Secretary Pillai's remarks followed
presentations by Mr. Gupta and Mr. Sushil Jiwarajka (Chairman of
FICCI's Innovation Committee) which enumerated the terrorist attacks
in India over the last several years, pointed to the 26/11 attack in
Mumbai as a "wake up call" for the government, and decried India's
lack of security-related technologies as a surmountable obstacle to
a more secure country. He also followed presentations by Mr. Steve
Swain (Security Innovation Technology Consortia, UK) and Mr. Avi
Shavit (Head of Homeland Security, Israeli Ministry of Industry,
Trade and Labor) on how the UK and Israel have addressed the issue
of technology for homeland security.


INEFFECTIVE POLICIES AS MUCH A BARRIER AS MISSING TECHNOLOGIES


4. (U) In a vibrant and spirited discussion, participants were not
shy in sharing their experiences with security technologies. Delhi
Police Joint Commissioner Mr. Karnal Singh provided several examples
of government technological ineptitude. He cited a particular case
in which he tried to exploit a mobile phone and was told by MHA that
it was technologically impossible but when he contacted the phone
company directly, company officials said that they had the necessary
software there to do it immediately. A Bangalore police official
said that the technology and training being discussed was not passed
down to the working level, and that his police station did not even
have an Internet connection, for example. He called on the MHA to

NEW DELHI 00002116 002 OF 002


provide the constabularies with more training and access to basic
technologies. This point was echoed by an unidentified audience
member who said police training in India is very poor, and that the
entire police training system needed to be overhauled to provide
better and more frequent training if police were to effectively
respond to a terrorist attack. An Indian border agent pointed out
that his unit was testing several new technologies for video and
thermal surveillance, but had so far found that all of them were
designed for indoor use and not suitable for the border environment.
Mr. Ted Collins, President of Interact Public Safety Solutions,
Pvt. Ltd, noted that if India waits for the government to find the
solutions, it won't happen; solutions and innovations will come from
partnerships between private companies.


5. (U) Captain Raghu Raman, CEO of Mahindra Special Services Group,
pointed out that destroying the terrorists doesn't solve the larger
problem of terrorism. The key focus must be on identifying, before
an event ever happens, the people who create and control terrorists.
Commissioner Singh said that oftentimes the police know who these
people are, including their phone numbers, addresses and car license
numbers, but that they are not allowed to do anything about it. Mr.
Raman responded that technology must emerge from doctrine, and that
the government must put in place policies that will address the root
causes of terrorism because technologies themselves will not fix
this problem. Mr. Collins, agreed, noting that no technology would
ever replace good basic police work.


THE FUTURE OF AIRPORT SECURITY


6. (U) Mr. Praveen Khandelwal, Deputy General Manager (IT) of the
Airports Authority of India described his efforts to secure airports
through the integration of all airport computer systems into a
single Airport Operation Control Center (AOCC). He said that AOCC
will bring together all airport systems - from access control to
building management to passenger manifests - and will require a
significant change in the business process as well as a great deal
of employee retraining and new roles for airport managers. The
agreement to implement the system in the first two airport test beds
of Kolkata and Chennai has been finalized, though his said his staff
plans to finish defining the new business model before the AOCC is
implemented.


COMMENT


7. (SBU) The MHA and MoST have recently begun to express a strong
interest in collaboration on security technologies (REFTEL.) ESTOff
was told at this conference that the MoST is preparing to announce a
new funding initiative for security technologies to stimulate this
type of research. Industry clearly sees great opportunity in this
sector but, as Secretary Pillai pointed out, the government
bureaucracy is not well poised to take advantage of the opportunity.
Technology advancements will not by themselves solve the GOI's lack
of appropriate counterterrorism policy, poor coordination between
agencies, and chronic lack of training for first responders.
Regardless, it is a step in the right direction and presents an
opportunity both for grass-roots implementation of security
capabilities and for engagement by U.S. businesses. END COMMENT.

Roemer