Indian Air Force: Is it an Expeditionary Force?

VERY SAD....

Indian Air Force: Is it an Expeditionary Force?

Special Commentary by Gp Capt Retd! "I #$ralid%aran

After its experience with four recent Expeditionary Air Missions, considerable debate exists in US military circles on the viability of an expeditionary force in todays context.

Indian Air Force Su-30MKI is an air superiority fighter i.e. intended to defeat enemy aircraft in the air and seize control of enemy airspace. bangaloreaviation.com

&E' DE()I! * Reportin+ on t%e recent ass$mption o, o,,ice by t%e neC%ie, o, t%e Indian Air Force. /%e /imes o, Indiaon 01 December 2310 carried a piece by Ra4at "andit statin+ t%at t%e ne- C%ie, -o$ld %a5e to ,oc$s on ,aster ind$ction o, planned air assets i, %is ,orce %as to e5ent$ally become a tr$ly 6expeditionary aerospace po-er7 sic!. '%ilst t%is may 4$st be misplaced reporta+e and not an o,,icial policy declaration by t%e IAF or needs +ainsayin+ t%at as per t%e IA" 2333 IAF Air t%e +o5ernment. it

"o-er #an$al. t%e IAF does not %a5e an expeditionary role. Doctrinal Background '%ilst it is tr$e t%at t%e IAF no- %as t%e assets to ,$nction e,,ecti5ely in 68$t o, Area 8perations7 s$c% as Aerial Re,$ellers. strate+ic airli,ters li9e t%e C1:s . t%e A'ACS. Special Forces aircra,t li9e t%e C103 ;s and lon+* ran+e ,i+%ters s$c% as t%e S$9%oi 03s!. India7s polity does not expect t%e IAF to ,$nction in an expeditionary role. /%is is rein,orced in t%e <nion 'ar =oo9 and t%e R#7s 8p Directi5e emanatin+ t%ere ,rom. An Air Expeditionary Force AEF! * t%e <SAF recently and t%e
Indian Air Force logo Allied Air Forces d$rin+ ''II -o$ld ,all $nder t%is

de,inition * is one t%at. in today7s7 context. is capable o, deployin+ a pac9a+e o, 6s%ooter7 air po-er. incl$din+ air* to*air. precision air*to*+ro$nd and de,ence s$ppression aircra,t into a t%eatre to be+in deli5erin+ combat air po-er -it%in a s%ort period * >? %o$rs or so. For t%e <SAF. an expeditionary element %as been a lon+ ,elt need. mainly on acco$nt o, t%eir s%rin9in+ o5erseas basin+ in,rastr$ct$re. /%$s t%ey loo9 to expeditionary

elements to +i5e t%em a 6pl$+* and*play7 @11 policin+ capability in a t%eatre in 9eepin+ -it% t%eir strate+y o, +lobal en+a+ement7. /%is. in e,,ect. +i5es t%em t%e option. in a contin+ency. o, not %a5in+ to rely on direct o5erseas deployment o, air po-er ,rom mainland <S. )ence t%e e5ol$tion o, t%eir expeditionary air elements to see9 to pro5ide rapid. responsi5e air po-er tailored to t%e obtainin+ +eopolitical sit$ation * read 6ad5ent$rism by a ro+$e nation7 in <S parlance * o,ten to +i5e t%em a 7,iller7 capability to o5ercome na5al air po-er +aps s$c% as absence o, an aircra,t carrier in t%e 5icinity. /%e +enesis o, t%e <SAF Expeditionary Air Force can be traced to G$l, 'ar II aro$nd 8ct 1@@> -%en Saddam7s ,orces -ere t%reatenin+ to in5ade A$-ait ,or a second time a la G$l, 'ar I in 1@@3. and t%e <SAF %ad to re *position itsel, in t%e re+ion at s%ort call. (ater. <SAF6s AEF II deployed to ;ordan ,or se5eral mont%s in 1@@B. /%ese deployments indeed demonstrated t%e real 6speed7 c%aracteristic o, air po-er. &o-. t%e IAF is ,irstly not +eared ,or a t%eatre type o, military scenario. not still %a5in+ a CDS nor /%eatre Commanders yet. &or does o$r co$ntry o,,icially ad5ocate ,$nctionin+ li9e a re+ional policeman. re+ardless o, -%at -e may %a5e done o5er t%e #aldi5es d$rin+ 8p Cact$s (ily or Sri (an9a d$rin+ 8p "a-an. en,orcin+ t%e -rit o, t%e Indian State o5er a 6ro+$e7 nei+%bo$rin+ State. Out of Area Ops vs. Expedition

So -%at is t%e real di,,erence bet-een %a5in+ 8$t o, Area air capability and bein+ an expeditionary air ,orce? Clearly. it is t%e pre5ailin+ political stance t%at +o5erns IAF7s operational employment. (i9e -e do not s$bscribe to employin+ air po-er a+ainst o$r o-n citiCens. o$r co$ntry s$rely -o$ld not li9e to be seen as a re+ional %e+emon t%at en,orces its political -ill t%ro$+% $se o, o,,ensi5e air po-er. as t%e <S is -ont to do +lobally. especially post @D11. Also. t%e <SAF sees t%e AEF as a 5ia media ,or coalition*b$ildin+ and

re+ional cooperation. /%e IAF may %a5e carried o$t a #aldi5es. a Goa or a Sri (an9a. b$t an expeditionary military is not in o$r national psyc%e. /%at is not to say t%at a repeat air action as -as done in t%e cases mentioned is not ,oreseeable or doable. )o-e5er. s%o$ld t%e Indian +o5ernment decide in t%e ,$t$re to tas9 t%e IAF -it% an expeditionary role. t%e IAF -ill not only %a5e to b$ttress its 8$t 8, Area capabilities in terms o, ,$rt%er increased in5entory in 9ey assets. b$t more importantly per%aps. exercise t%e same periodically. to be e,,ecti5e -%en called $pon to do so. /%ere are se5eral aspects to an expeditionary role t%an 4$st deployin+ 8$t o, Area. /%ere are air,ield mana+ement. academic and doctrinal trainin+. ,li+%t sa,ety and +ro$nd sa,ety. 4oint exercises etc to be considered. Incidentally. t%e <SAF expeditionary elements do not belie5e in %a5in+ 6,$ll spectr$m7 capability. so as not to lose o$t on stayin+ 6lean and mean7. /%is a+ain is an area t%at -o$ld demand ri+oro$s plannin+ and trainin+. -ere t%e IAF to ass$me on an expeditionary a5atar. Other hallenges for an AEF Anot%er ,actor in an Air Expeditionary Force deployment is pre*positionin+. '%ereas t%e <S co$ld ,acilitate pre*positionin+ in concerned sectors t%an9s to t%eir military and ,orei+n policies s$c% as t%e Stat$s o, Forces A+reement S8FA!. -%at can India do in o$r 5icinity? 'o$ld any co$ntry in t%e Cone ,rom t%e "ersian G$l, to t%e #alacca Straits be -illin+ to extend s$c% a ,acility to $s? "repositionin+ becomes critical especially ,or stores s$c% as armament and ser5icin+ eE$ipment. An option is to coax ,riendly nei+%bo$rs to obli+e -it% similar eE$ipment in t%eir in5entory or ci5il in,rastr$ct$reDlab ,acilities. b$t t%is -o$ld only be -is%,$l t%in9in+ in o$r operational scenario. 8ne +ets t%e $neasy ,eelin+ t%at. possibly -it% t%e recent ind$ction o, American*ori+in assets s$c% as t%e C*103; and t%e C* 1:. -e %a5e -illy*nilly started toyin+ -it% ideas s$c% as 6expeditionary7

roles.

!e have to "ake a clear distinction and find a #alance #et$een our in%country security re&uire"ents' fro" counter%insurgency to anti%terror(anti%hi)ack operations' $herein our long range assets co"e into play' and the urge to opt for diplo"atic *+un Boat, options. An expeditionary air force also calls for extensive reorganisation do$n the co""and chain' such as setting up Expeditionary !ings and theatre co""ands. Besides' a high degree of coordination and sy"#iosis #et$een existing Air o""ands and any proposed expeditionary ele"ents $ould #e called for. Another factor that needs consideration in this context is the additional costs involved in such Out of Area Operations. Air lift costs the"selves $ould #e considera#le for a country like India $ith its constraints in defence #udgeting. -he .oles and /issions De#ate A,ter its experience -it% ,o$r recent Expeditionary Air #issions. considerable debate exists in <S military circles on t%e 5iability o, an expeditionary ,orce in today7s context. Some o, t%eir C*in*C s still ,eel t%at t%e capability co$ld be s$stained in t%eatre rat%er t%an in mainland <S. It -o$ld be a ,olly. t%ere,ore. ,or t%e IAF not to t%in9 t%ro$+% roles s$c% as 6Expeditionary Air Elements7. 'e ,ort$nately %a5e a clear de,inition o, o$r roles and missions amply artic$lated to t%e +o5ernment t%ro$+% t%e IAF Doctrine IA" 2333!. /%e IAF does not need to con,$se itsel, -it% roles -%ic% are ,irstly %i+%ly $nli9ely in o$r en5ironment and secondly a+ainst o$r national et%os. Similar capabilities co$ld be ac%ie5ed and maintained -it%o$t pro4ectin+ o$rsel5es as an Expeditionary Air Force. It is %i+%ly $ndesirable ,or any ,i+%tin+ ser5ice to be con,$sed abo$t its roles and missions. as military %istory o5er t%e years bears o$t. It is to be %oped t%at t%e reporta+e mentioned at t%e be+innin+ o, t%is piece is only an ill* in,ormed aberration and not anyt%in+ constit$tin+ a 6company policy7 ,or

t%e IAF. http://www.ipcs.org/article/india/special-commentary-indian-air-force-is-it-anexpeditionary-force-4232.html