Conflicts in last few decades establishedpre-eminence of aerospace power: IAF chief

New Delhi: India has the capability and the will to respond to any security challenges at a level that it deems appropriate, Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari said on Tuesday, in comments that came amid a lingering border row in eastern Ladakh and Pakistan’s cross-border terrorism.The Chief of Air Staff also said conflicts in the last few decades have clearly established the pre-eminence of aerospace power as the “instrument of choice” for almost all operational contingencies.In an address at an event organised by the Republic TV, Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari said the Indian Air Force (IAF) has laid out a roadmap to add new capabilities and harness modern technology to bolster its overall combat capabilities.
“India has the capability and more importantly, the will, to respond at a level that we deem appropriate and to impose our own escalation matrix,” he said.
“We, the men and women in uniform, are the cutting edge of that response. Therefore, it is imperative that we keep that edge as sharp and lethal as possible,” he added.Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari said the IAF has the unique capability of undertaking “independent strategic operations” as well as operations coordinated with other services and arms of the national security apparatus. “We understand the imperative nature of joint planning and execution in future wars and are keen on integrating the efforts of the three services,” he added.The IAF chief said his force has recently updated and revised its operational doctrine to keep it relevant for the next decade.