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Air Chief Marshal A P Singh interacts with people at Air Force Auditorium, in New Delhi on Wednesday. (ANI)
CITING examples of the recent US action in Venezuela and the past war with Iraq, Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal A P Singh on Wednesday said military power stands as the ultimate arbiter of national power and economic strength alone is not enough to ensure national security.
“Anybody can be economically strong, but cannot be secure,” he said while underlining that India was colonised despite controlling 60% of the world’s GDP, along with China. The IAF chief was speaking at the 22nd Subroto Mukherjee seminar in Delhi, organised by the Centre for Aerospace Power and Strategic Studies (CAPSS).
“…Because if you do not have it, you can be subjugated by anybody. Venezuela and Iraq are some of the examples… What does military power do? It will protect your economic activities and give you the freedom and secure the technological infrastructure that you have, and it will give credibility to your diplomacy.” He said all instruments of national power will take you nowhere if you do not have a strong military power.
“That becomes an absolute necessity. It is the military power which is important, but what is more important is the will to use that military power,” he said.
“Unless you have that will to use it, you can keep showing restraint, but that restraint will be seen as a weakness. It is only when you’re strong enough, and you show restraint, that it is seen as a capability,” the Air Chief Marshal said.
He further said the part of military power that has come in handy, or which has delivered what was required to be delivered, is air power.
He said it is important that attention is put on this part of the military in case India wants to be a force to reckon with. “Whether it is getting people out of the conflict zone, or it is to give a blow to terrorist infrastructure and their perpetrators, or whether it is attacking bases in Pakistan in a matter of a few hours to send a signal that enough is enough and bring them to their knees. It was the air power which did the trick, and that has to be remembered… Let us not rest on past glory. Let us brace up for future challenges…”
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In Operation Sindoor launched in May last year, the IAF destroyed 12-13 of Pakistan’s combat aircraft, including four to five F-16s on the ground and five F-16s and JF-17s in the air, along with two other planes. The IAF chief had earlier stated that the operation taught conflict resolution to the world, as it was concluded after India’s military objectives were achieved.
Air Chief Marshal Singh said India’s security requirements are often shaped by developments in its neighbourhood, forcing reactive decision-making at times, adding that there is a need for faster decisions on Make in India initiative and strategic partnerships for next-generation engines and weapon systems to strengthen self-reliance.
Amrita Nayak Dutta writes on defence and national security as part of the national bureau of The Indian Express. In the past, Amrita has extensively reported on the media industry and broadcasting matters, urban affairs, bureaucracy and government policies. In the last 14 years of her career, she has worked in newspapers as well as in the online media space and is well versed with the functioning of both newsrooms. Amrita has worked in the northeast, Mumbai and Delhi. She has travelled extensively across the country, including in far-flung border areas, to bring detailed reports from the ground and has written investigative reports on media and defence. She has been working for The Indian Express since January 2023. ... Read More
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