Army to train officers for US-style war in space

A week after India announced setting up of an integrated cell to co-ordinate all military operations based on space assets, the Army's Directorate of Perspective Planning (DoPP) will organise a training programme on Monday for officers to make them understand the tricks of the trade, Army sources said today. To be inaugurated by Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Deepak Kapoor, the seminar would also look into the role of space-based applications in recent conflicts around the world. "In particular, the use of space-based assets by the US forces in Afghanistan and Iraq would be debated. Army officers would learn the practices adopted by the US forces in utilising space applications to counter enemies in its battles in Iraq and Afghanistan," sources said. The meet, to be organised in association with the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), would witness officers discussing and imbibing "space-based application used by militaries of the space-faring nations," sources said. "It is imperative that Indian Army, being the largest user of space, exploits space-based resources optimally to meet its operational requirements," a note prepared by the DoPP to organise a day-long training for officers, said.