Almost contrasting statements by the Army and Air Force Chiefs in recent days about military preparedness has kicked up much discussion about India’s real military preparedness. One of the consensus emerging in the discussions is a more serious response on security issues from the government.
Two weeks ago, Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat said that the Indian Army was ready to fight a two-and-half front war — facing China, Pakistan and dealing with militancy simultaneously.
Whereas, two days ago, Indian Air Force Chief (IAF) Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa said his force did not have enough fighters for a two-front war.
Speaking on the issue, Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash told The Hindu , “The way national security is being handled is not commensurate with the security environment which is extremely serious at the moment.”
On a part-time basis
Giving instances on this, Admiral Prakash said there was no full-time Defence Minister, which showed the lack of seriousness, and secondly, despite several measures being proposed, “there is no real increase in the pace of modernisation”. He said, “Broadly in the longer term situation, the Armed forces are well prepared and the IAF is rightly concerned. The concern is not about the preparedness but it is about the processes and delays. The Air Chief is probably concerned about that.”
Navy better off
Commenting on the Navy’s preparedness, Admiral Prakash said that the Navy was relatively better off as it is not heavily reliant on imports.
However he pointed out some problem areas like submarines and helicopters. “Again after six Scorpenes there is a big gap. There is a lacuna,” he noted.
Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Manmohan Bahadur (retd), Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Air Power Studies said that the Air Chief’s statement conveys the importance of augmenting the strength of IAF fighter squadrons. “It does not mean that IAF’s operational preparedness is lacking,” he said.
On the need for 42 fighter squadrons, Mr. Bahadur said that while the capability of fighters had gone up, so had the threat matrix in which missions were to be executed.
“Force strength required is dependent on geopolitical realities,” he added.
Several Army officials stressed that the Army was fully prepared for a two-front or a two-and-half-front war.
“We should be able to handle both fronts very comfortably unless a third party comes in,” a senior officer stated.
He elaborated that the war reserves and overall preparedness had gone up over the past few years.
