– By Aanchal Bajaj
– Intern IPPCS’21
Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) is an emerging reality, which through its technology, is constructing an unprecedented rate of change in diverse fields. Globally, the foremost field in which it is being used is defence. In contemporary times, electronic warfare has led to a transformational shift in the way conflicts are fought. The Precision Guided Munitions with the help of Drones or RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems) act as force multipliers for armies. Drones have the capability to survey specific locations which puts the terrorist forces in an exposed state, decreases costs and eliminates the risk of soldiers losing their lives during intense missions while also helping to eliminate high profile terrorists. This trajectory of warfare can be attested through a precedent where Qasem Soleimani the head of the Revolutionary Guards Quds Force was killed in a Baghdad air strike conducted by USA’s MQ-9 Reaper, which is one of the deadliest military drones found worldwide. There are tremendous benefits of operating drones for military purpose but one cannot ignore the liabilities that come with it. Drone strikes can secretively happen against a nation even if that state is not at war, and this increases concerns over the transparency and sovereignty of the attacks.
Recently India too has become scathed by similar attacks, when terrorists used the mechanism of UAS to administer an attack against the Indian Air Force station located in the region of Jammu and Kashmir. There were no casualties reported but this is a cause for concern as the Pakistan-based Jihadist group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Mustafa (LeM), who conspired against India and executed the Pulwama attack, have been suspected of conducting the drone attack. Further, JeM has started to conduct meetings with the Taliban who have regained the territory of Afghanistan and formed a de facto leadership in the region. Jaish-e-Mohammad has asked Taliban to back them in the matters of India’s network centric operations. The UAS attack in J&K could also hamper ‘The Ceasefire Understanding’ formed between India and Pakistan on 25th February 2021 to create peace and understanding along the Line of Control (LOC). On a positive note, the UAS technology can be harnessed in various sectors of industry to improve accessibility and counter the problems they face. This is particularly true in the critical areas of healthcare and agriculture. At a time when the world is in the throes of a pandemic, drones were used to provide basic health care supplies to remote regions. A case in point is when COVID vaccines were provided to the rural area of Ghana. Another case of drone technology being used to achieve its maximum productivity was seen when the University of Maryland transported a kidney through a drone to a patient – these are examples when technology is utilised to aid humanitarian welfare. Agriculture in India contributes nearly 18% to its GDP and is the bedrock of its economy. Most of the rural sector is dependent on agriculture as it is the only source of income for famers. By incorporating the drone technology into agriculture India can provide the farming sector with tremendous amount of advantages such as 3D mapping. UAV’s can replace the current farming techniques with their innovative mechanism by analysing and providing detailed information on issues that hampers biological and ecological farming. In a start to promote the use of this technology, The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has given a green light to large online food ordering and delivery platforms to initiate the programme.
Like any other emerging technology, an assessment has to be made on the scope, utilisation and regulations under which Drones can function. As the system of UAV’s promises a width of opportunities, a critical and detailed policy needs to be formulated to ensure maximisation of its potential. With regard to the usage of drones as weapons against terrorist organizations, India is planning to adopt a wait-and-watch policy while simultaneously not letting its guard down. Raids are being carried out in Jammu and Kashmir while top level meetings are being scheduled to counter the looming threat of drone attacks by the neighbouring terrorist organizations. “Drones are being used by anti-national elements and terrorists. It poses a threat. We have taken some countermeasures. More measures will be taken. In fact, new technology has also been deployed to ward off such attacks,” Dilbagh Singh, the Director of Police in Jammu and Kashmir has officially stated. Health care industry, like other life supporting industries, stands to obtain the most advantages from drone technology but only if it is applied efficiently. Towards this, there are constant changes being made to the Unmanned Aircraft System rules so at to facilitate its use and minimise its abuse. As of now, several rules that were in existence were removed by the Government of India Ministry of Civil Aviation in March 2021. In its place, a more regulated and flexible drone policy has surfaced. The earlier Unmanned Aircraft System Rules and Civil Aviation Requirements had rigid entry barriers and import controls which compromised its economic prospects. The Drones rule 2021 have eradicated some of the key features of the previous requirements which instilled a certain amount of stringency. Unique authorisation number, import clearance and drone port authorisation are some of the rules which have been reduced. According to the fore mentioned rules there is going to be a negligible amount of interference between humans on the digital sky platform. Earlier, permissions were required for a personal drone to take off but the new set of rules have nullified it. To improve the robust growth of drones in India, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has abolished the certificate of airworthiness and remote pilot licence for Research and Development (R&D) companies. According to the government, drone corridors are in the process of being constructed for cargo deliveries and also to guarantee that there can be controlled and systematic operations. The rules also imply that authorisation is required if the drones in the green zone exceed the given limit i.e. 400 feet.
As the new drone policy comes into effect, India’s economy in the drone market could take a tremendous leap in future as it has already paved its way to dominate the sector by acquiring the position of the third largest importer of drones internationally, standing at 6.8 per cent share of the total UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) in the year 2020. Also, with a flexible policy in place, start-ups based on advancing drone technology will flourish leading to better military and economic growth in the nation. Despite this, a perspective that demands consideration is that drones act as a threat of pervasive surveillance, and this could counter a positive growth nationwide. India should ready itself for remote attacks of different forms, as drones can gather sensitive information, act as direct weapons and relay information to enemy countries or subversive forces. A few suggestions to avert such situations are that a robust privacy software should be incorporated in the drone system. Drones should also be prohibited to fly over military camps, the Parliament of India or any other location which is crucial for India’s defence security. Currently, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is forming an anti-drone technology which will be able to deactivate or shoot down rogue drones. This technology has a radar system, which, through its frequency is able to detect and neutralise UAVs. A drone gun is another invention which can be implemented by the Indian government to block the communication signals between the UAV and the aviator. The scope of streamlining this technology is thus immense and will be an on-going process.
According to the great philosopher Thomas Hobbes, the innovations created by the human race for the betterment of the world can also be used to create instability. This is very apt in the case of drone technology. India should be able to find an offensive and defensive balance, which will simultaneously help drone technology to flourish and empower the economy of our nation.
onducted a total of five underground nuclear tests, breaking a 24-year self-imposed moratorium on nuclear testing. Pakistan followed, claiming 5 tests on May 28, 1998, and an additional test on May 30. The unannounced tests created a global storm of criticism, as well as a serious setback for decades of U.S. nuclear nonproliferation efforts in South Asia. On May 13, 1998, President Clinton imposed economic and military sanctions on India, mandated by Section 102 of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), and applied the same sanctions to Pakistan on May 30. Some effects of the sanctions on India included: termination of $21 million in FY1998 economic development assistance; postponement of $1.7 billion in lending by the International Financial Institutions (IFI), as supported by the Group of Eight (G-8) leading industrial nations; prohibition on loans or credit from U.S. banks to the government of India; and termination of Foreign Military Sales under the Arms Export Control Act. Humanitarian assistance, food, or other agricultural commodities are excepted from sanctions under the law. 
The first ministerial level meeting of QUAD was held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Before this, the QUAD had
AusIndEx is an exercise between India and Australia which was first held in 2015.The Australian 
On recommendations of the Japanese government, the four countries met at Manila, Philippines for ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) originally, but also ended up having a meeting of what we call the first meeting of four nation states on issues of 
On his official visit to India, Japanese PM Mr. Shinzo Abe reinforced the ties of two nations, i.e., Japan and India with his famous speech about 
In 2007, Japanese President Shinzo Abe resigned from his post citing health reasons. This had a significant impact on QUAD as he was the architect & advocate of QUAD. His successor, Yasuo Fukuda, did not take up QUAD with such zeal leading to dormancy of the forum. (
Japan earthquake and tsunami of 2011, also called Great Sendai Earthquake or Great Tōhoku Earthquake, was a 9.0 magnitude earthquake which struck below the floor of the Western Pacific at 2:49 PM. The powerful earthquake affected the northeastern coast of Honshu, Japan’s main island, and also initiated a series of large tsunami waves that devastated coastal areas of Japan, which also led to a major nuclear accident. Japan received aid from India, US, Australia as well as other countries. US Navy aircraft carrier was dispatched to the area and Australia sent search-and-rescue teams. 
India and Australia signed the 
The India-Japan Agreement for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy was signed on 11 November, 2016 and came into force on 20 July, 2017 which was representative of strengthening ties between India and Japan. Diplomatic notes were exchanged between Dr. S. Jaishankar and H.E. Mr. Kenji Hiramatsu, Ambassador of Japan to India. (
The foreign ministry
The Officials of QUAD member countries met in Singapore on November 15, 2018 for consultation on regional & global issues of common interest. The main discussion revolved around connectivity, sustainable development, counter-terrorism, maritime and cyber security, with the view to promote peace, stability and prosperity in the 
The 23rd edition of trilateral Malabar maritime exercise between India, US and Japan took place on 26 September- 04 October, 2019 off the coast of Japan. 
After the first ministerial level meeting of QUAD in September, 2019, the senior officials of US, Japan, India and Australia again met for consultations in Bangkok on the margins of the East Asia Summit. Statements were issued separately by the four countries. Indian Ministry of External Affairs said “In statements issued separately by the four countries, MEA said, “proceeding from the strategic guidance of their Ministers, who met in New York City on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly recently, the officials exchanged views on ongoing and additional practical cooperation in the areas of connectivity and infrastructure development, and security matters, including counterterrorism, cyber and maritime security, with a view to promoting peace, security, stability, prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.”
US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue was held on 18 December, 2019, in Washington DC. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper will host Indian Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar and Minister of Defense Shri Rajnath Singh. The discussion focussed on deepening bilateral strategic and defense cooperation, exchanging perspectives on global developments, and our shared leadership in the Indo-Pacific region.The two democracies signed the Industrial Security Annex before the 2+2 Dialogue. Assessments of the situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Indian Ocean region in general were shared between both countries. (
The foreign ministers of QUAD continued their discussions from the last ministerial level meeting in 2019, on 6 October, 2020. While there was no joint statement released, all countries issued individual readouts. As per the issue readout by India, the discussion called for a coordinated response to the challenges including financial problems emanating from the pandemic, best practices to combat Covid-19, increasing the resilience of supply chains, and enhancing access to affordable vaccines, medicines and medical equipment. There was also a focus on maintaining stability in the Indo-Pacific region amidst growing tensions. Australian media release mentions “We emphasised that, especially during a pandemic, it was vital that states work to ease tensions and avoid exacerbating long-standing disputes, work to counter disinformation, and refrain from malicious cyberspace activity. Ministers reiterated that states cannot assert maritime claims that are inconsistent with international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”
On September 24, President Biden hosted Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan at the White House for the first-ever in-person Leaders’ Summit of the QUAD. The leaders released a Joint Statement which summarised their dialogue and future course of action. The regional security of the Indo-Pacific and strong confidence in the ASEAN remained on the focus along with response to the Pandemic. 
The QUAD Vaccine Partnership was announced at the first QUAD Summit on 12 March 2021 where QUAD countries agreed to deliver 1.2 billion vaccine doses globally. The aim was to expand and finance vaccine manufacturing and equipping the Indo-Pacific to build resilience against Covid-19. The launch of a senior-level QUAD Vaccine Experts Group, comprised of top scientists and officials from all QUAD member governments was also spearheaded. 
Although the Tsunami Core group had to be disbanded on fulfilment of its purpose, however the quadrilateral template that formed remained intact as a successful scaffolding of four countries, as stated by authors Patrick Gerard Buchan and Benjamin Rimland in their diplomatic brief about QUAD ( you can access the brief at 
Secretary of State Colin Powell stated that the Core Tsunami Group was to be disbanded and folded and clubbed with the broader United Nations led Relief Operations. In a Tsunami Relief Conference in Jakarta, Secretary Powell stated that 
Soon after the Earthquake and Tsunami crisis, humanitarian reliefs by countries, viz., US, India, Japan, and Australia started to help the 13 havoc-stricken countries. The US initially promised $ 35 Millions in aid. However, on 29
At 7:59AM local time, an earthquake of 9.1 magnitude (undersea) hit the coast of Sumatra, an Indonesian island. As a result of the same, massive waves of Tsunami triggered by the earthquake wreaked havoc for 7 hours across the Indian Ocean and to the coastal areas as far away as East Africa. The infamous Tsunami killed around 225,000 people, with people reporting the height of waves to be as high as 9 metres, i.e., 30 feet. Indonesia, Srilanka, India, Maldives, Thailand sustained horrendously massive damage, with the death toll exceeding 200,000 in Northern Sumatra’s Ache province alone. A great many people, i.e., around tens of thousands were found dead or missing in Srilanka and India, mostly from Andaman and Nicobar Islands of Indian territory. Maldives, being a low-lying country, also reported casualties in hundreds and more, with several non-Asian tourists reported dead or missing who were vacationing. Lack of food, water, medicines burgeoned the numbers of casualties, with the relief workers finding it difficult to reach the remotest areas where roads were destroyed or civil war raged. Long-term environmental damage ensued too, as both natural and man-made resources got demolished and diminished.
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