Speaking after the CDS, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria refused to discuss the details of the internal deliberations on theatre commands, saying that the differences need to be resolved internally and need not be publicly discussed. Bhadauria, however, made it clear that the Air Force was not merely a supporting arm and a lot of different aspects go into planning an air operation.
“There is absolutely no question that we are for establishing these commands, but we must get it right. It’s an important reform and we should be able to reach the next level of comprehensive national power that has more flexibility and not more boundaries”, he said.
The Air Chief added that each of the three services has its own doctrines and knowledge that needs to be brought in for a synergised result.
“It is not a supporting role alone, air-power has a higher role to play. In any of the integrated battle areas, a lot of things go into any air plan and these are issues under consideration,” he said.
Last month, a presentation was made to the defence minister and defence ministry officials who raised several questions on the proposed structure of the commands by the department of military affairs.
The concerns raised by the ministry are yet to be answered in detail.