Aerospace power may be efficiently employed beyond enemy lines with political will: VR Chaudhari, chief of IAF

In a statement on Wednesday, IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari claimed that “Balakot-like operations” have shown that, with the right political will, aerospace forces can be employed successfully beyond enemy lines.

During a seminar on “Aerospace Power in Future Conflicts,” he said that “militarization and weaponization of space have become an inevitable reality” due to countries’ growing reliance on space-based assets for gaining a strategic advantage.

“Through the annals of human history, the skies have often been regarded as realms of wonder and exploration, where dreams take flight and boundaries dissolve into the vast blue expanse,” he said.

However, behind this peace is a realm “rife with rivalry where the struggle for aerial supremacy” has determined the fate of several countries and fought countless wars, according to the head of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

“As we navigate these uncharted skies, air power, being a key component of national power, would undoubtedly play a pivotal role and also serve as a symbol of national strength and a tool for peace and cooperation,” he said.

The head of the IAF said, “We all need to acknowledge that the wars of the future will be fought differently.”

The simultaneous use of kinetic and non-kinetic forces, high degrees of battle space transparency, multi-domain operations, enhanced lethality, a compressed sensor-to-shooter cycle, and, of course, intense media scrutiny will all be features of future conflicts, he predicted.

The air marshal further said, “Balakot-like operations have shown that given the political will, aerospace power can be effectively carried out beyond enemy lines in a no-war, no-peace scenario under a nuclear overhang without escalating into a full-blown conflict.”