In response to the transcript of my talk on social media implications for the defense community, my friend Rahul Gangal, who is a part of the defense community in India, shared some perspectives from India.
Rahul says that websites like Bharatrakshak have become an important platform for the defense community in India to share ideas, user experiences and get cost estimates for new technology.
He also points out that, apart from propaganda, social media can be used by the Ministry of Home Affairs to disseminate information which is preventive in nature.
He also contrasts the open cultural norms in these online conversations with the secrecy in the Ministry of Defense, where even CDs, pen drives and mobile phones are not allowed.
Another Indian social media platform where I’m seeing interesting conversations on defense is the very promising Indipepal Defense section, which has blogs by veterans like India’s first astronaut Rakesh Sharma, defense analyst C Uday Bhaskar and NSG founder Colonel Mahendra Choudhary.
