New Delhi: The Indian Army has operationalised new specialist units to counter the rising challenges posed by China and Pakistan in the world of cyberwarfare, media reports said.

The decision was taken during the Army Commanders Conference held in the third week of this month headed by Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande.

"To safeguard the communication networks and increase preparedness levels in this niche domain, Command Cyber Operations and Support Wings (CCOSW) are being raised in the Indian Army," government sources told ANI.

They said that Cyberspace has emerged as an important component of the military domain both in grey zone warfare as well as conventional operations.

Highlighting the importance and requirement of such specialist units, the sources said the expansion of cyber warfare capabilities by our adversaries has made the cyber domain more competitive and contested than ever before.

"The Indian Army today is rapidly migrating towards net centricity, which entails an increased reliance on modern communication systems at all levels," they told ANI.