Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari has highlighted the need for the IAF to adopt an “evolved approach” for the preparation of future military leaders to keep up with the “accelerated technology infusion” and “fight tomorrow’s wars.”
Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari made these remarks while delivering a keynote address at a capstone seminar organised by the Indian Air Force and Centre for Air Power Studies.
The Indian Air Force conducted the first Warfare and Aerospace Strategy Program (WASP) culminating with a Capstone Seminar at Air Force Auditorium, New Delhi.
“The impact of new technologies on the revolution in military affairs has made us sit up and acknowledge the fact that new investments in military concepts would have to be made. The new ideas and organizational approaches must be preceded by an evolved approach to the cerebral preparation of future military leaders,” Chief said.
“We are aware of the continuously rising technological and numerical edge that our adversaries have over us today. It is my firm belief that this can be neutralized by an intellectual edge the capacity of individuals to outthink, to out plan and outsmart the adversary. This can be germinated through focused self-learning, supported by institution units of Higher education like the College of Air Warfare (CAW),” said Chaudhari.
The seminar was conducted under the aegis of the College of Air Warfare and Centre for Air Power Studies. It was attended by senior officers from all three Services, air power scholars, academia from principal think tanks and premier colleges of the country.
This Capstone Seminar aims to showcase the learning objectives of WASP and help the IAF leadership to validate the desired outcomes from the program. The participants presented their papers on contemporary topics concerning the application of air power in recent conflicts and the changing doctrinal precepts that establish the dominant role of air power in national security.
The WASP was conceptualised by the IAF with the purpose of creating a pool of mid-career air power practitioners with strategic acumen and a deep understanding of warfare history and theory. It aims to enhance the doctrinal vision of the participants and cultivate their aptitude for effective arguments on strategy. It will further hone the ability of the participants to link varied thoughts and theories about the whole-of-government approach to statecraft.
The course was organized at CAW which is the premier institute of the IAF for Air Power Studies