India is set to have a Defence Cyber Agency (DCA) by May and it will be headquartered in New Delhi, according to an ANI report.

Share Market Live

NSE

The ANI report said Senior Navy officer Rear Admiral Mohit Gupta will be the first head of this agency and added that the work, to set up this agency, is almost completed.

The DCA will be one of the three agencies along with the Special Forces and Space, as per the clearance given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year.

Reports, earlier, have found that cyber threats from nation-state bad actors grow exponentially, and India is required to be equipped with cyber capabilities of its armed forces, including the operationalisation of a Defence Cyber Agency.

According to the comprehensive report titled "Credible Cyber Deterrence in Armed Forces of India" by the New Delhi-based Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), the Indian armed forces must have modern means and capabilities for cyber exploitation, technical intelligence, cyber deception and launching of probing operations.

"The report identifies seven pillars for enhancing the cyber capabilities of the Indian armed forces, including operationalisation of a 'Defence Cyber Agency' as a stepping stone to develop cyber power within the designated time frame," said Arvind Gupta, Director, VIF.

Aware of cyber power being a critical component of India's comprehensive deterrence capability, the foundation has set up a task force headed by Lt. Gen. Davinder Kumar (Retired) to suggest a road map for cyber deterrence in the armed forces.

(With inputs from IANS)