The VIMARSH Series of Lectures: Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa’s Talk at the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), 26 April 2018

Welcome Remarks by Dr Arvind Gupta, Director, VIF

Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, distinguished guests, Excellencies, members of the Media, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to welcome you all to the to the Vimarsh public lecture series organised by the VIF. VIF is a nonpartisan, independent think tank dedicated to research on issues of national interest from an Indian perspective. The VIF is guided by the values of Swami Vivekananda, who remains a national icon and who believed in harmony in diversity. His motto to the countrymen was “rise, awake and move forward”. Proud of India’s civilization and its spiritual heritage, he saw India as a world leader.

Vimarsh provides a platform for interaction between the eminent people and the public on matters of national importance. In the past distinguished speakers from India and abroad have spoken from this platform on a variety of subjects. Our last guest was General Bipin Rawat, the Chief of the Indian Army. Today, I extend heartiest welcome to Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa for having agreed to our request to deliver the talk on the ‘Role of the Indian Air Force in National Security’. We are honored by his presence today. Thank You Sir, for being with us.

Dear Friends, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa took over as the 25th Chief of the Indian Air Force on 31 December 2016. Prior to that he was the Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force. He has held a number of significant staff appointments at Operational Commands, Joint Training Establishments and Air Headquarters. He has been Director, Targeting Cell, and Director, Fighter Operations, Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Intelligence) at the Air HQ and Senior Air Staff Officer of Eastern and Western Air Commands. The Air Chief has commanded the South Western Air Command.

Commissioned into the Flying Branch of the IAF as a fighter pilot in Jun 1978,
Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa is a Qualified Cat ‘A' Flying Instructor and has more than 3000 hours of fighter flying under his belt with an immaculate flight safety record all along his distinguished career as a field commander. He is an alumnus of the Rashtriya Indian Military College, the National Defence Academy and the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington.

The Air Chief has many laurels to his credit. During the Kargil war, he led the IAF punch to evict the enemy from their dug outs in the icy heights of the mountains. Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa has been awarded with Yudh Seva Medal (YSM) and Vayusena Medal (VM) in 1999, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) in 2015, and Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) in 2016 by the President of India. He is committed to modernisation of the IAF and transforming it into a strategic aerospace power with full-spectrum capability. He has stressed the requirement of training and equipping IAF to deter the adversaries.

Ladies and Gentlemen, India’s national security environment is changing rapidly. The global and regional order is in flux and full of uncertainties. India’s strategic environment extends across the Indo-Pacific. To deal with these uncertainties India has built a number of important strategic partnerships with other countries over the years and devoted itself to the task of building its capabilities. It is also playing an important role in the evolution of regional security architectures. India’s defence and security cooperation has been strengthened with many countries. Irrespective of these partnerships, there is no alternative to building of Comprehensive National Power including the economic and military strength. India needs to have a strong military as a deterrent to adversaries and their nefarious designs.

You would have seen from the recent press releases that the IAF has conducted an unprecedented pan-India Exercise ‘Gagan Shakti-2018’ from 08 -22 Apr 2018, when the entire fighting machinery of the Air Force were activated. All commands along with the Army and Naval components worked in tandem. Re-deployment to new location within a short period of 48 hours were achieved. The efficacy of the indigenous light combat aircraft Tejas and Akash Missiles were tested. More than 11,000 sorties including 9,000 sorties by fighter aircraft were flown. The operation was conducted in a network centric scenario. The logistic chain of the IAF was similarly tested. The exercise has helped the IAF to validate to its operational efficacy, operating procedures and joint operations with the Army and the Navy. This was indeed a landmark moment in the evolution of the IAF.

The government has undertaken a comprehensive and ambitious modernisation program of the IAF. This includes the induction of high-tech modern platforms to augment the IAF’s fleet of fighter aircraft, to enhance its airlift capacity, and to improve jointness. At the same time, steps have been taken to indigenise defence production in the country.

Indian Air Force is an indispensable instrument of India’s military power. It has played sterling role in the previous wars. Its role in peacetime is undisputable. Time and again it has come out in aid of civilian authorities in the time of national emergencies.

Friends, we could not have any one better than Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa to give us a perspective on the evolving role of the IAF in India’s national security matrix. I invite Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa to address us.