NEW DELHI: Air Chief Marshal (ACM) AP Singh on Wednesday underscored the significance of a robust military, cautioning that in its absence "you can be subjugated by anybody".
"We must understand that military power stands as the ultimate arbiter of national power... Any one of these powers is very important but finally, what is required is a robust military, because if you don't have it, you can be subjugated by anybody. Venezuela is the most recent example," he said.
The Air Chief added that the will to use military power with "restraint" will work only if we are strong enough.
"Military power is important, but what is more important is the will to use that military power... Unless you have that will, you can keep showing restraint, but that restraint will be seen as a weakness. It is only when you're strong enough, and you show restraint, that it is seen as a capability," he said.
"The part of military power that has come in handy, or which has delivered what was required to be delivered, is air power. It becomes very important that we focus our attention on this part of the military in case we want to be a force to reckon with," he added.
The Air Chief mentioned the recent operation by the IAF to destroy terrorist infrastructure inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir during Operation Sindoor to buttress the significance of air power.
"Whether it is getting people out of the conflict zone, whether it is to give a blow to terrorist infrastructure and their perpetrators, or whether it is attacking bases in Pakistan in a matter of a few hours to send a signal that enough is enough and bring them to their knees, it was air power which did the trick, and that has to be remembered... Let us not rest on past glory. Let us brace up for the future challenges," he said.
The government took the decision to destroy the terrorist infrastructure in retaliation to the April 22, 2025 terrorist attack in Pahalgam which led to the killing of 26 civilians.
Praising the former IAF Chief Subroto Mukherjee, Singh said his contributions had been farsighted. "He built the Indian Air Force in an era of constraints, uncertainties, and limited resources... With the kind of foresight he had, he took us on the right path, because as they say, a well begun is half done. He put us on the right path, and we have been growing from strength to strength. I think I am in a much better place than my predecessors because resources continue to get better and better."
The Air Chief has also been in favour of retaining the core competence of each service: Army, Navy and Air Force.
As earlier reported by The New Indian Express, when it comes to the creation of the joint operational structure (theatre commands), the Air Chief has stressed the importance of crafting an India-specific model rather than emulating foreign systems. "We can't simply copy countries like China or the US. We must assess our own requirements. We shouldn't feel pressured to act hastily," he remarked.
Speaking during a fireside chat at Ran Samvad-2025, a tri-services dialogue on war, warfare, and warfighting, held at the Army War College in Dr Ambedkar Nagar, Madhya Pradesh, the Air Chief reiterated the Indian Air Force's (IAF) position that it is not opposed to tri-service integration but believes changes should be deliberate and thoughtful.
Highlighting concerns about the complexity of command structures, Air Chief Marshal Singh said, "The aim is to enable quicker decision-making at the commanders' level, but joint structures should not end up adding layers to the process."
The proposed theatre command structure aims to enhance jointness and accountability by integrating operational components of all three services under a unified command.