REAIM (Responsible AI in the Military Domain) Summit 2024 held in Seoul (South Korea) announced a legally non-binding "Blueprint for Action" to govern responsible use of AI in the military.

• REAIM, with its inaugural summit held in 2023, is a platform for global discussion with all stakeholders on ways to ensure responsible military application of AI.

Key highlights of the ‘Blueprint for Action’

• Impact of AI on international peace and security: AI applications in military domain should be developed, deployed and used in a way that maintains and does not undermine international peace, security and stability.
  • Recognize that Al applications can present both foreseeable and unforeseeable risks including risks of an arms race, miscalculation, escalation, and lowering threshold of conflict.
  • Stresses the need to maintain human control and involvement for all actions critical to informing and executing sovereign decisions concerning nuclear weapons employment, without prejudice to ultimate goal of a world free of nuclear weapons.
• Implementing responsible AI in the military domain: AI applications should be ethical and human-centric, applied in accordance with applicable national and international law, promote dialogue on rigorous testing and evaluation (T&E) protocols, etc.
• Future governance of AI in military domain: Discussion on Governance should take place in an open and inclusive manner to fully reflect wide- ranging views, strengthen international cooperation on capacity-building to reduce knowledge gap on responsible development and deployment, etc.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) successfully dismantled a virtual asset and bullion-supported cybercrime network through Operation Chakra III (phase 3).

• This operation was executed in close coordination with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of US.

About Operation Chakra

• Initiated by CBI in 2022 it is an INTERPOL assisted Global Action to combat and dismantle organized cyber enabled financial crime networks.
• Its phase 2 was launched in 2023 and phase 1 in 2022.

With this Addition, Indian navy now have two SSBN (Ship, Submersible, Ballistic, Nuclear) submarines (INS Arihant and INS Arighat).

India’s Nuclear Powered Submarines:

• Arihant-class submarines are being developed and built indigenously under the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) Project.
  • INS Arihant, India's first indigenous nuclear submarine under ATV project, was commissioned in 2016.
    • INS Arihant carried out a successful launch of a Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) in 2022.
    • It can carry up to four nuclear-capable K-4 SLBMs (Range exceeding 3,500 km) or twelve K-15 SLBMs (Range of around 750 km).
• In 2019, India signed a $3 billion deal with Russia to lease an Akula-class nuclear-powered attack submarine for 10 years.

Significance: 

• Nuclear Deterrence capability:
  • Strengthening nuclear triad (consisting of Land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, Submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and Strategic bombers). 
  • Credible second-strike capability: In line with India’s ‘no first-use policy’.
• Strategic Significance: SSBN will help maintain strategic stability in South Asia, particularly in context of India’s nuclear-armed neighbors, China and Pakistan.
• Increased India's naval prowess: By building towards blue water naval capability(Navy that operates into deep oceans).
• Other Significance: Contributing towards Atmanirbhar Bharat, enabling critical defense and attack capabilities etc.

Recently, the flight test of VL-SRSAM has been successfully conducted by Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) & Indian Navy from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha.

• Flight test was carried out from a land-based vertical launcher.

About VL-SRSAM

• It is a vertically launched surface to air missile with all-weather capability for use by Indian Navy. 
• It is a ship borne weapon system designed to neutralise various aerial threats at close ranges, including sea-skimming targets.
• Features: Indigenous Radio Frequency (RF) seeker
• Developed by: DRDO