In Eastern Ladakh, the benchmark will return to status quo and there will be a complete withdrawal from all points, he said.
In Eastern Ladakh, the benchmark will return to status quo and there will be a complete withdrawal from all points, he said.
While the Indian Air Force (IAF) does not oppose the process of placing a theater command, it has “certain reservations” regarding its formations and the theoretical aspects of the force “should not in any way be compromised by this new structure”. Chief Air Chief Marshal (ACM) VR Chaudhary said on Tuesday.
Speaking on the situation in eastern Ladakh, he said, while there has been decongestion at some places, the benchmark would be to revert to “status quo” and “complete withdrawal” from all points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). ,
“The best benchmark would be a return to status quo and complete evacuation from all points along the LAC. This is the ideal situation we will be looking for. All preparedness in terms of infrastructure creation, equipment, training and strategy is a continuous effort, whether we see any belligerence from the Chinese side or not,” said ACM Chowdhury, addressing the annual press conference ahead of Air Force Day on October 8. Said while doing
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Asked about the situation on the LAC after the recent withdrawal from Patrolling Point-15 in the Gogra-Hot Springs area, the Air Chief said that he continues to monitor the activities of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force. “The infrastructure development is going on at a rapid pace in the LAC especially in the Eastern Ladakh region.”
Asked about the increased air activity by the Chinese on the LAC, he said that they continuously monitor it by increasing their own air defense efforts there. ACM Chaudhary said that we have increased the presence of our radar and Surface to Air Guided Weapon (SAGW) systems and have integrated them into the Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) network. “Appropriate non-escalatory air-defense measures are always taken in time. We are able to indicate our intention and the state of our preparedness from the actions we have taken so far. ,
In addition, he said that the Confidence Building Measure (CBM) among India And China are present and have ensured that no CBM is violated. If there is a breach, we now have an Air Force officer who represents us in the border talks, he said, referring to talks between ground commanders to maintain peace.
“In the last border management talks, we had an Air Force officer, and he has been apprised of various air violation cases. We will use the army hotline to communicate any air violations,” he said.
While India insists that two more friction points remain for Depsang and Demchok, China has rejected any return to the status quo.
theater command
With General Anil Chauhan taking over as the second Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) last week, the stalled process of tri-services integration, which includes the restructuring of the armed forces into a unified theater command, is expected to be back on track.
“We are fully supporting the integration process. It is only the methodology and the kind of structure that needs to be prepared for the future, we are stressing on,” said the Air Force chief. What it means to be future ready, he said, should be more important for less decision-making, reduction in layers of command and control and synergy of core competencies.
“Each service has a principle. There are theoretical aspects of the IAF that I am concerned about, this new framework should not be compromised in any way,” he said.
In his opening remarks, ACM Chowdhury said that the recent events on the global scene have clearly indicated that the presence of a strong military is imperative to overcome external threats through deterrence and if deterrence fails, to neutralize those threats. He stressed, “Therefore, the Armed Forces in general and the IAF in particular, will continue to be a linchpin in the national security matrix as a tremendous deterrent as well as a means to win the war.”
Reiterating the IAF’s commitment to modernization through indigenous routes, he said that the Indian Air Force is committed to the development of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mk II and fifth generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
However, he acknowledged that the IAF may not reach the sanctioned combat strength of 42 squadrons anytime soon. The Air Force chief said even with the LCA-Mk1A, LCA-Mk2 and the proposed Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA), “we will be at 35-36 by the middle of the next decade”.
A few months ago, the Air Force Chief stressed the need for an Integrated Air Defense System (IADS) to fight the wars of tomorrow, saying that “creating an Air Defense (AD) command may prove counter-productive”. .
A unified AD command is one of the proposed theater commands that would function in addition to the Western, Eastern and Marine theater commands, in what would be the biggest restructuring of the Indian armed forces since independence.
Over the past two years, the country’s first Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat had led the consultations to work out modalities before his untimely death in a helicopter crash.
female firefighters
on new Agneepath Scheme Which is currently being launched, ACM Choudhary announced that the Indian Air Force will induct women firefighters next year. The Navy has already announced that it will recruit women as Agniveers in the first batch to join later this year.
“The recruitment of air warriors under the Agneepath scheme has been streamlined and 3,000 firefighters will be inducted into the IAF in December this year. The plan is to induct women firefighters next year,” he said.