IAF Chief calls for 'evolved approach' to 'fight tomorrow's wars'

New Delhi: Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari has emphasised the need for the IAF to adopt an "evolved approach" for preparing future military leaders to keep up with "accelerated technology infusion" and be ready to "fight the tomorrow's wars".

Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari made the remarks while delivering the keynote address at a capstone seminar organised by the IAF and Centre for Air Power Studies.

The seminar marked the culmination of the first Warfare and Aerospace Strategy Program (WASP), held at the Air Force Auditorium in New Delhi. The event was attended by senior officers from all three Services, senior bureaucrats, aerospace power scholars, academia and established defence correspondents.

Chaudhari stated, "The endeavour of programmes such as the WASP is to prepare future military leaders in the cerebral domain by promoting the habit of reading. The knowledge thus gained must lead them to the question of ‘How to think’, rather than ‘What to think’. It is this self-learning that will equip tomorrow’s leaders to think creatively to continuously evolve strategy as the strategic environment changes around them."

The IAF chief stated that Human capital will always be supreme and should therefore be nurtured. Emerging technologies would however remain symbiotic with human intellect, thereby necessitating the need to absorb and adapt with it continuously. He added that he was glad to note the performance of the officers who had undergone the WASP last year. He said that he was looking forward to the current graduates and those following them, filling key posts in the Indian Air Force.

The Capstone Seminar served as a platform to showcase the learning objectives of the WASP and enable IAF leadership to validate the desired outcomes of the program. Participants presented papers on contemporary topics related to the application of air power in recent conflicts and the evolving doctrinal precepts that emphasise the pivotal role of air power in national security.

The WASP was conceptualised by the IAF to develop a cadre of mid-career air power practitioners equipped with strategic acumen and a profound understanding of warfare history and theory. The program aims to enhance participants' doctrinal vision and cultivate their ability to construct effective strategic arguments. It also seeks to refine their capacity to connect diverse thoughts and theories within a comprehensive whole-of-government approach to statecraft.