Up your game and become an aerospace force, Rajnath tells IAF

Vishal Thapar May 06, 2022

Warning that India’s adversaries are taking steps towards military use of space which is certain to have an adverse effect on its interests, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on May 5 urged the Indian Air Force (IAF) to “up your game” and prepare itself to become an aerospace force.

Delivering the 37th Air Chief Marshal PC Lal Memorial Lecture in New Delhi, the Defence Minister identified “space-guided attacks” and threats to space assets as emerging military challenges and preparedness to counter these as an “important requirement of our times”.

“Can we think about defending ourselves from space-guided attacks and technological evolution and human resource management to secure our space assets?” he asked the IAF leadership, gently directing a prioritisation to capability building to fight wars involving use of space.

“Change is the law of nature. It is eternal. This law is applicable to warfare as well. As students of military affairs and geopolitics, it is our duty to keep anticipating the nature of future wars,” Minister said.

Lessons from ongoing conflicts

Insights into the nature of future wars can be gained through a closer look at the conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan and the ongoing Ukrainian conflict. “Although these trends are suggestive, but we can gain a deeper understanding by correlating them with our local threats,” he said.

The Defence Minister emphasised that continuous specialised training of personnel is vital for ensuring the future readiness of India’s armed forces as these would be required to operate on technological frontiers.

He pointed out that mere possession of technology and weapon systems do not guarantee victory in wars. Rather, it is the effective employment of weapon systems that would provide the edge.

“Be it precision guided munitions, unmanned aerial vehicles or manpack anti-tank weapons, their employment in any future war will be as important as it has been in the past. Technology is a force multiplier, but without innovative employment, modern equipment will be mere showpieces. Mere accumulation of new technology weapons may be a source of envy for others but it cannot guarantee victory,” he reasoned.

Self-Reliance

Rajnath Singh next turned to the high stakes in the ongoing drive for self-reliance (Aatmanirbharta) in Defence production. “No nation can achieve greatness on the basis of imported weapons. There’s a limit to progressing on borrowed capability,” he cautioned.

“For a long time, we have been dependent upon imports to secure our borders. From MiG to Sukhoi and, more recently, the Rafale, India has imported very advanced equipment and platforms. But India has learnt from recent experiences that India cannot remain dependent on imports for a long period of time. We’ve learnt from recent conflicts that not just Defence supplies, there is a full possibility of commercial contracts getting affected when national interests get involved,” the Defence Minister elaborated.

“In these circumstances, self-reliance is essential not just for capacity building but also to retain our sovereignty. The road to self-reliance is not easy. It is possible that in the beginning, it may not deliver desired results. But we are absolutely clear that in the middle and long term, it will help in creating a foundation of a robust industrial base not just in the Defence sector but also in every sphere of industry,” he elaborated.

He listed out some of the recent initiatives taken by the Government, terming them as building blocks of a self-reliant structure which will empower the domestic manufacturers and help India not just to fulfil its own requirements but also emerge as a net exporter of Defence equipment.

India is not just ensuring its own safety and security in a tough neighbourhood but has also emerged as the foremost responder in the region for out of area contingencies, the Defence Minister said.