The role of the Indian Air Force in future conflicts was crucial, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said

Referring to the volatile situation on India's borders, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said that the Armed Forces need to be prepared to respond at a short notice for any contingency.

He appreciated the Indian Air Force (IAF) for maintaining a high level of preparedness, the ability to respond on a short notice and displaying high standards of professionalism in carrying out operational and peace time tasks.

He was addressing the Air Force Commanders' Conference on the inaugural day.

The role of IAF in future conflicts is crucial and it needs to harness the capabilities and opportunities offered by AI, Big Data Handling and Machine Learning, the Defence Minister said.

He exhorted the commanders to brainstorm to evolve viable solutions towards the conference theme of “Ensuring Certainty amidst Uncertainities”.

Singh said that enhancing jointness is essential and the structure should be evolved after closely examining various options, and inputs from all stake holders would be taken into consideration.

According to Defence Minister Singh, the efforts in the field of indigenization through ‘Make in India’ initiative of Govt of India was showing results and the orders of LCA Mk 1A and C-295 would open new opportunities in the indigenous aerospace sector.

Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari addressed all Commanders and emphasized on the need to develop multi-domain capability in order to give a swift and befitting response to any misadventures by our adversaries.

He also emphasized on the need for joint training with the Indian Army and Indian Navy to enable synergized application of combat power in future conflicts. The CAS complimented all the commanders for maintaining a high state of readiness despite challenges posed by the pandemic.

The Commanders’ Conference is being conducted from November 10-12.

"Uncertainty in the geo-political landscape makes it an imperative for the armed forces to train, equip and adapt to rapid changes," the defence ministry noted.

During the Conference, commanders will discuss and brainstorm situations which may affect National Security and focus on measures to enhance operational capability.

Issues pertaining to strengthening training and optimising HR policies for effective utilization of manpower will also be discussed.