The head of the Indian Air Force on Thursday impressed upon the "critical deficiencies" of the force which need to be addressed to retain the combat edge. This statement holds significance as the force is grappling with dwindled combat fighters and the associated force multipliers. The Air Chief also touched upon the “great power politics in play” of the Indo-Pacific and stated that this will have repercussions.
Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said, "There are certain critical deficiencies like shortage of fighter squadrons and force multipliers which must be addressed on priority to retain our combat edge."
The IAF operates nearly 30 Combat Squadrons in place of the sanctioned 42 Combat squadrons.
From an airpower perspective, IAF will be expected to contribute across the full spectrum of conflict. Airpower has the capability to deter, defend and if required punish the adversary in a conflict, he added.
The Air Chief was giving the inaugural address at the 19th Subroto Mukherjee seminar organized by the IAF think tank Centre for Air Power Studies. Chief was speaking on "India’s eminence in the emerging world order."
"The Indian Air Force needs to evolve into an aerospace power and to do so, there is a need to develop the capability to fight and win tomorrow's wars. Multi-domain operations and hybrid warfare are here to stay and we must, therefore, realign and reform to keep pace with technology to remain relevant."
Looking at the situation in the Indo-Pacific region, “we see great power politics in play where an established superpower is increasingly being challenged by an established regional power with global ambitions. The outcome of this great power competition will have repercussions for all major players in the region." said ACM Chaudhari.
Expounding on the emerging world order Chief said that a rising China and a resurgent Russia are seen as the biggest challenges to American dominance and he also brought out the shifting of the economic centre of gravity from the Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific, to which India and China are significant contributors.
As per the Air Chief, "the window of demographic dividend opportunity available from 2005-06 to 2055-56 is longer than any other country in the world. This bulge in the working age population will not last long and must be exploited."
"Our neighbourhood continues to remain volatile and uncertain. Amidst this volatility, we must enhance our collective strength by partnering with nations which share common beliefs and values. We must use our image as a stable country with considerable economic heft to forge mutually beneficial relationships and strategic partnerships. It is essential that we retain our strategic autonomy, and to do that, in my opinion, a strategy of balancing would be the way forward," the chief said.
There are many things that are going India’s way. “Our economic progress, military might, political stability and diplomatic deftness has put us at the centre stage and announced to the world that India has arrived.”