Indian Air Force chief Vivek Ram Chaudhari has said that Pakistan is unlikely to shed its Kashmir-oriented strategy and will continue to sponsor terrorism.
He further said that China poses a significant and long-term challenge to India’s strategic goals.
On China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and Pakistan Air Force (PAF), the IAF chief said they have enhanced their military capabilities in equipment and infrastructure.
‘IAF must be rapidly modernized’
IAF needs to be rapidly modernized, expand its fleet and improve indigenous manufacturing capabilities, he added.
Speaking at the 18th Subroto Mukerjee Seminar in Delhi, Chaudhari said that Pakistani armed forces have not only formulated a new concept of war-fighting but have also acquired and equipped themselves with the latest technology, aircraft besides upgrading their defence capabilities.
Strategically, we are making a transition from fighting a predominantly defensive war to adopting a more aggressive approach for an offensive defence under the nuclear umbrella, he added.
“We must reassess our strategic priorities and realign actions to ensure that we don’t get left behind. Our security scenario is influenced by unstable neighbours with unsettled borders, which could be a flashpoint in the future,” the IAF chief said.
The IAF chief further said that it should be made clear to the world that today’s India has the capability and will to respond at a level that we deem appropriate.
‘India needs to prepare for full-spectrum warfare’
On China’s belligerence in the Indo-Pacific, Chaudhari said that Beijing’s hegemonic policies can provide opportunities for India to leverage in trade and military domains.
On India’s COVID-19 response amid the India-China standoff, the CAS said “we have demonstrated our capabilities during a standoff on our northern border while we were handling national COVID response”.
The IAF chief also talked about full-spectrum warfare saying that in the future, India could be attacked from all fronts, starting from economic strangulation to diplomatic isolation and military stand-offs to info blackouts, in the form of attack by a distributed denial of services.
We will need to prepare for the full-spectrum, he added.
