Air force chief heralds India’s preparedness

It is difficult to fathom why the Indian Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa, has talked of full preparedness for a two-front war when the Chinese threat in Doklam at the trijunction of India, China and Bhutan has seemingly blown over. He did acknowledge that the possibility of a two-front war remains low but he went on to say at the annual media conference on the eve of Air Force Day that the IAF) has adequate capability to tackle dual threats despite shortage of fighter jets. He said that with Pakistan the IAF was more than matched while with China it was adequate. “It is not what China has got, it is what they can project against us. It is what they can bring in to Tibet... our capability is adequate.” The Air chief acknowledged that Chinese forces were still pitched near Doklam despite an end to the standoff, saying China held military exercises every year in summer and so their forces were close by when the standoff happened. “Their [China] forces in Chumbi Valley are still deployed and I expect that they withdraw as summer exercise gets over,” he said.

Alluding to the shortage of fighter jets he said “by 2032, we will reach 42 squadrons. With whatever numbers we have, we are capable of executing operations as we speak” Was it necessary to bare the fact in public that we have a shortage of fighter jets that will continue for another 15 years? In today’s environment very little is hidden from enemy intelligence but was it prudent to disclose this fact? Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa was evidently reacting to Pakistan’s claim of possessing short-range nuclear weapons to counter the “cold start doctrine adopted by the Indian Army.” The Air chief ’s comment that the “Air Force has the capability to locate, fix and strike across the border .... was indeed opportune.