"Atmanirbharta" Cannot Be At Cost Of Nation's Defence: Vice Chief of Air Staff

 

Air Marshal A.P. Singh, Vice Chief of the Air Staff, on Friday said that 'Atmanirbharat' is not "just a slogan" but something in which all stakeholders have to put their heart and soul, stressing that this 'Atmanirbharat' is not something that will be realised in 2019. Defence expenditure.

Speaking at a CAPS seminar here, he reiterated that "Defence comes first".

The VCAS said defending the country is "not just the job of those in uniform but everyone's job".

Supporting 'Atmanirbharata' in defence, he said DRDO, private companies etc can enhance the capabilities of the armed forces in areas like radar, communications and many others.

'Atmanirbharat' is "not just a slogan" but something in which all stakeholders have to put their heart and soul to ensure that technology and weapons are developed and manufactured in India. "You are leaving an institution that could potentially change alliances or block the flow of weapons into our country," an outside agency said.

Air Chief Marshal Singh emphasised that "the biggest lesson we have learnt from today's geopolitics is to be self-reliant".

As the saying goes, there are no permanent enemies or permanent friends, there are only permanent interests," he said.

In his speech, VCAS made a point of promoting greater 'Atmanirbharta' but with one condition.

"Atmanirbharta is something we ride on. Most of our contracts are with Indian partners, Indian industry. But this Atmanirbharta should not come at the expense of defence.

"And if the IAF and the Indian Army have to go through this Atmanirbharta, it can only be done if everyone from DRDO to DPSUs to the private sector joins hands," he said. We will walk and lead on this path. And let us not deviate from this path. Because when it comes to defence, if we do not get what we need or the systems and weapons we need to survive in today's world, we will be forced to deviate from that path," the Air Marshal said.

He urged that "we all need to get in lockstep" and work "at a much faster pace."

But VCAS noted that the pace needed to be increased because "the current rate of receiving equipment is too slow." "When you look at our adversaries, the rate at which they're growing, the rate at which they're absorbing these technologies, and their numbers are still growing...We have a big gap to catch up with, and that gap is only going to get bigger. This is something we need to look at collectively, and we need to find solutions to this gap that continues to widen," he said.

At a seminar exhibition on air and missile defence organised by the think tank at Sabroto Park here, many speakers also spoke on various lessons learnt from ongoing conflicts in the world.

VCAS in his address also said that the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine shows the integration of multiple forces in the domains of air, land, sea, cyberspace, information and space and how they are "united" to achieve their goals.

"One thing is for sure, if we have to do anything, we have to stay in the game. We have to modernise, keep growing, keep innovating and always stay ahead of the curve. Otherwise, we will stay behind and just be playing catch up," Air Sergeant Singh said.

The rapid pace of technological advances and evident in people's daily lives "also impacts our weapons and defense systems." He said that what was unthinkable or unimaginable just a few years ago is now a reality, adding that the impact on the defense forces and warfare makes it clear that "we must be agile and flexible in our thinking and actions."

The ongoing conflict alludes to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, a multi-domain battlefield. This is "a classic example of what is happening now and what we will face in future conflicts," the Deputy Chief of Air Staff (VCAS) said.

"The conflict also demonstrated the integration of multiple forces in the domains of air, land, sea, cyberspace, information and space and how they unite to achieve a goal. I'm sure that everyone here, including our friends from the other services, will agree that the air domain has clearly emerged as a unique cross-domain connection and a powerful cross-domain force -- a powerful way to apply force across domains. It's become a force multiplier, not just a means," he asserted.

VCAS also pointed to the Israel-Hamas war to highlight the importance of airspace. As seen between Israel and Hamas, airspace has been used extensively, whether through the use of fighter jets equipped with precision weapons and the giant Iron Dome system (air defense system), or through Hamas' use of cheap rockets and loitering munitions. It's this very formidable, very expensive system itself, he said.

VCAS also said that in this dense battlefield, "we have to make plans to use our available resources optimally and innovatively while ensuring that we can maintain our systems. Upgrades or procurement improvements. Looking ahead, the IAF will set up a dedicated Weapon Systems (WS) wing, with a sub-wing that will look after surface-to-air missiles, among others, he added.