Cybersecurity Critical For India Too, U.S. Officials Say

Aerospace Daily & Defense Report
Sept 9, 2010

FUNDING & POLICY NEW DELHI — India, like the U.S.,needs an integrated homeland security strategy and cybersecurity is critical to the nation’s economic and financial growth, according to members of the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) attending India’s Homeland Security Exhibition and Conference (Indesec) here.

With India and the U.S. sharing a common interest in defending against terrorist networks, preventing cyberattacks and protecting critical infrastructure, a formal working group is being established between the two countries on cybersecurity.

USIBC also is hosting a series of meetings with the Indian government and the private sector to discuss collaboration on training, processes and technology, as well as sharing best practices in homeland security.

“Lessons learned post-9/11 can be adapted to India,” says U.S. Coast Guard Adm. (ret.) James Loy, who is now senior counselor at the Cohen Group consultancy.

“Deeper U.S-India counterterrorism and homeland security cooperation must also focus on developing rapid and coordinated response and recovery capability to deal with future events.

“With industry and government working together, the government often leads the way to ‘what’ needs to be done and industry the leads the way with ‘how’” to reach
the objective, says Loy, who was USCG commandant in 1998-2002, head of the Transportation Security Administration in 2002-03 and deputy secretary of the U.S.
Homeland Security Department in 2003-05.

“The fact that India’s [information technology] industry is so huge and the world depends on what you bring in that area is [in itself] a concern as huge hubs become targets,” says U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. (ret.) Harry Raduege, Jr., chairman of the Deloitte Center for Cyber Innovation and former head of the Pentagon’s Defense Information Systems Agency.

“We’re working with the East-West Institute that started the First Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit. There are indications that India will host the summit in 2012,” Raduege says.

The USIBC mission comes on the heels of nine U.S. aerospace and defense executive delegations to India to further promote strategic collaboration between the U.S. and India.

“U.S. industry’s participation in and support of India’s homeland security sector will not only provide India with the best equipment, but will also boost job creation in both countries through technology-sharing, partnerships and high-end manufacturing,” says Nik Khanna, director of aerospace and defense for USIBC.
- Neelam Mathews