Our neighbourhood continues to remain “volatile and uncertain” and amidst this volatility, we must enhance our collective strength by partnering with nations which share common beliefs and values, Indian Air Force (IAF) Air Chief Marshal (ACM) V.R. Chaudhari said on Thursday while also taking note of the great power politics in the Indo-Pacific.
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“We must use our image as a stable country with considerable economic heft to forge mutually beneficial relationships and strategic partnerships. It is essential that we retain our strategic autonomy and to do that, in my opinion, a strategy of balancing... would be the way forward,” ACM Chaudhari said addressing the 19th Subroto Mukherjee seminar organised by Centre for Air Power Studies.
Referring to the Indo-Pacific region, ACM Chaudhari said we see great power politics in play where an “established super power is increasingly being challenged by an established regional power with global ambitions” and the outcome will have repercussions for all major players in the region.
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Stating that in the existing world order, where national interests and realpolitik dictate the actions of state players, there would always be an overlap between competition and cooperation, the Air Chief said we must develop our own strategy to survive and thrive amidst this competition without losing sight of our long-term objectives.
“This has been on display through India’s balanced position at UN on the ongoing conflicts as well as its decision to act in its national interests regarding importing oil at best prices despite pressure from various quarters,” he said adding the actions that we take today and the policies that we adopt will determine the trajectory of our position in the world order in the coming decades.
On the role of IAF, ACM Chaudhari said the IAF needs to evolve into an aerospace power and to do so, there is a need to develop the capability to fight and win tomorrow’s wars, while nothing that there are certain critical deficiencies like “shortage of fighter squadrons and force multipliers which must be addressed on priority to retain our combat edge”.