Need to be ready for operations on short notice: IAF chief
In the force, space and time continuum, there would be a need for us to prepare for short swift wars as well as be ready for a long drawn standoff akin to what we are seeing in Eastern Ladakh, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhry said.
FollowWith the changing geopolitical situation, the Indian Air Force needs to be prepared for intense and small-duration operations at a short notice and for that, it required major changes in the logistics support system, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhry said on Thursday while speaking at a seminar on Logisem Vayu-2022 in the national capital.
Referring to the ongoing standoff with China in the Ladakh region and vouching for change in Op logistics, the IAF chief said, "In the force, space and time continuum, there would be a need for us to prepare for short swift wars as well as be ready for a long drawn standoff akin to what we are seeing in Eastern Ladakh."
Stressing for resources to be bridged and transported in the contingencies like situations, ACM Chaudhry said: "While the movement of Squadron load to Operation locations would be supported to an extent by dedicated air effort, timely replenishment of ATF, armament, aviation spares, aviation lubes and FOL, would be a challenging proposition as, during contingencies, the roads and railheads would be choked due to simultaneous movement of Indian Army along the same axes."
Towards this, "We need to formalise an integrated road and rail management plan and explore the feasibility of increased containerisation and use of civilian wide-bodied aircraft."
He also said that the commanders on the ground can understand better that logistics can push the military machine to the limits without risking a total breakdown.
"IAF's recent experiences as well as the evolving geopolitical scenario mandates us to be operationally and logistically responsive at all times," he added.
It must be mentioned that the Indian Air Force had carried out Balakote airstrike, with its fighters entering the Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir airspace and destroying the terrorists' launch pads that were preparing to sneak into Indian territory.
Talking about the responsive logistical system and addressing issues like the availability of spares, the IAF chief said: "I feel we need to re-evaluate demand forecasting methods and stocking philosophies. The way forward will be to have serviceability linked inventory management system."
"We must also review our procurement strategies in order to reduce lead time for supplies and preempt problems of supply chain obsolescence," he added.
He also called for a focused action plan that needed to be developed for the indigenisation of all critical components in order to achieve the nation’s mandate of 'Atma-Nirbharata'.
In doing so, 'we must leverage emerging technology like AI, Block-chain and IoT, suitably adapted to our supply chain requirements'.
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