Operation Balakot shows aerospace power can be used in no war scenario: IAF chief

The Operation Balakot against Pakistan ably demonstrated that the aerospace power has given leadership flexibility to use systems in a no war scenario without escalating it into a full blown conflict even under overarching nuclear concern, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said on Tuesday.

In his inaugural address at Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh Memorial Seminar, the Air Chief emphasised on the growing importance of air domination and stated that “no war can be successfully prosecuted without aerospace power”. He also quoted Field Marshal Montgomery to state, ‘If we lose war in the air, we lose the war and lose it quickly’. The seminar was themed on “Aerospace Power: Pivot To Future Battlespace Operations” and organised by the Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS).

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“Operations like Balakot have also demonstrated that given the political will, aerospace power can be effectively used in a no war, no peace scenario, under a nuclear overhang without escalating into a full blown conflict.

This ladies and gentlemen is very important given the nature of our adversaries. The response options available to the leadership have suddenly increased and increasingly, air power has become an option of choice due to inherent flexibility and unmatched precision strike capability,” Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari told the gathering.

Harness technology

He advised to harness technology in order to control the airspace across domains since its dominance will become a crucial factor in future battlespace operations. “The future battlespace will be increasingly complex characterised by heavy dependence on technology, asymmetric nature of threats, increased fog and friction, expanded battlespaces, high tempo of operations, enhanced lethality, compressed sensor to shooter cycles and media scrutiny,” the Chief of Air Staff envisioned.

According to him, technology like CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductors) sensors, AI-enabled decision support matrix, manned-unmanned teaming, redundant C2 structures, cyber space dominance and next generation fighter aircraft will prove to be a deciding factor when fighting tomorrow’s wars.

Chaudhari, however, observed that the element of human resources should not be forgotten in the rush to acquire next generation technology. Any amount of automation will not be effective unless we have well-trained, situationally-aware and technologically sound professionals handling our systems, he emphasised.

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“To see first and see clearly, to reach first and reach farthest and to strike first and strike with precision will be the mantra for fighting modern wars,” he insisted.

Possibly hinting at China and Pakistan, the CAS said the India’s security concerns necessitate that it puts in place adequate military power that has the ability to achieve deterrence, ensure information dominance, coerce when needed and provide multiple response options.

“Attributes of aerospace power enable the leadership to formulate an appropriate strategy with due cognisance given to the desired end state, conflict termination criteria and escalation matrix,” said Chaudhari.

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