The global order is being increasingly challenged with little or no regard to rules and India must reassess its strategic priorities and realign its actions to ensure that it is not left behind, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said on Friday.
Listing various national security challenges, the Chief of Air Staff also said that military strategists must not lose sight of the primary objective of "war-fighting".
Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari's comments at a seminar came in the backdrop of India's lingering border row with China in eastern Ladakh, the situation in Afghanistan and the geopolitical upheavals triggered by the crisis in Ukraine.
Without naming any country, he said "coercion" is the new strategy with cyber, information and space domains becoming the "new battlefield".
"Today, we are witnessing a rapidly evolving international order that is increasingly being challenged by a complex multipolar world with little or no regard to rules or to the traditional processes of geopolitical interplays," he said.
The Air Chief Marshal said diplomacy, economy and information are becoming the "primary tools" of engagement with the military instrument being used as a deterrent.
"Coercion is the new strategy with cyber, information and space domains becoming the new battlefield. Therefore, we must reassess our strategic priorities and realign our actions to ensure we don't get left behind," he said.
The seminar marked the culmination of the first 'Warfare and Aerospace Strategy Programme' (WASP) was conducted by the Indian Air Force.
The WASP was rolled out with an aim to generate strategic thought and understanding amongst the mid-career air power practitioners.
The Chief of Air Staff hoped that the programme will enable the officers to understand the whole-of-government approach and generate independent opinions in dealing with national security issues.
"We believe that such cross-pollination of ideas from multiple disciplines can lead to critical thinking which allows a person to formulate solutions as well as take more rational and effective decisions," he said.
"At the same time, a military strategist must not lose sight of the primary objective and that is war fighting. Hence our focus should remain on operational level critical thinking and strategy while developing a deeper understanding of the art and science of war fighting," he added.
Air Chief Marshal Chaudhary told the participants of the programme that a well-crafted strategy may not guarantee success in dealing with security challenges, but the absence of a coherent and sustainable strategy will surely lead to failure.
The discussions revolved around assessing the role of air power in the ongoing Ukraine conflict and revisiting the doctrinal and strategic precepts about India's air power capability.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
You’ve hit your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Quarterly Starter
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Access to Exclusive Premium Stories Online
Over 30 behind the paywall stories daily, handpicked by our editors for subscribers


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app