NEW DELHI — Ever ready to blame Pakistan for every little thing thathappens across the border, top commanders of the Indian armed forces arenow at loggerheads with each other over Indian Air Force’s (IAF) role inthe battle ground.
A day after India’s Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat talked aboutthe IAF’s air defence charter as well as its role as a supporting arm tothe ground forces just as the artillery or engineers support the combatantswithin the army, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria saidthe air power has a huge role to play in any of the integrated battle roles.
He asserted the Indian Air Force was “fully committed” to theaterisation ofthe armed forces. Referring to the situation in eastern Ladakh, the chiefof air staff said China has bolstered its infrastructure in the past fewmonths though the two sides have carried out a disengagement process inPangong Lake areas.
Gen Rawat’s comments about the supporting role of the Air Force came at aconference when asked about the growing perception that the Indian AirForce was not keen on setting up the proposed theatre commands integratingthe capabilities of the three forces.
Elaborating on the IAF’s role, the Chief of Defence Staff talked about itsair defence role and said one of the theatre commands will look at theoverall management of the air space in the country.
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“Do not forget that the Air Force continues to remain a supporting arm ofthe armed forces, just as the artillery or engineers support the combatantswithin the Army. They have an air defence charter and support the groundforces in time of operations,” Gen Rawat said. He said the force has tounderstand its basic charter.
Both Gen Rawat and Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria were speaking at separatesessions of a conference organised by the Global Counter-Terrorism Council(GCTC) – a think-tank.
