Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, April 28: Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said on Thursday that the current geopolitical climate requires the Indian Air Force to prepare for intense and short-duration operations on short notice.
He also claimed that the army would need to train for ‘short, rapid fights’ and be ready for ‘long-drawn standoffs’ like those witnessed in eastern Ladakh in a speech to a seminar.
According to Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari, the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) recent experiences, as well as the shifting geopolitical landscape, the IAF must be operationally and logistically responsive at all times.
“The current geopolitical situation necessitates the Indian Air Force to prepare for intense and small duration operations at a short notice. This new paradigm of high-intensity operations coupled with minimal build-up time would require major changes in terms of operational logistics,” he said.
Delhi | In the force, space and time continuum, there would be a need for us to prepare for short swift wars as well as be ready for a long drawn standoff akin to what we are seeing right now in eastern Ladakh: Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari pic.twitter.com/mQIbs4M3dM
— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2022
“In the force, space and time continuum, there would be a need for us to prepare for short, swift wars as well as be ready for a long-drawn standoff akin to what we are seeing in eastern Ladakh,” he added.
Given the force’s large and diverse arsenal, logistics support in such a scenario, according to the IAF Chief, would be extremely difficult. When asked about India’s security issues along its northern borders, Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari stated the IAF must be prepared for any eventuality.
“A focused action plan needs to be developed for indigenisation of all critical components in order to achieve the nation’s mandate of ‘Atma-Nirbharata’ (self-reliance),” he added.