India should focus on comprehensive defence capability build-up: Air Chief

NEW DELHI - The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik, on Friday said India should focus on integrated and comprehensive defence capability build-up and not merely acquire capabilities to mere counter threat or in competition with another country.

Air Chief Marshal Naik said specifying nations threats, whether external or internal, would only lead to an arms race. “What I wish to state is long ago we realised that being threat specific or being country specific will only lead to an arms race. What you should go in for is a comprehensive capability build-up based on the country’s aspirations. That is what we have been indulging in,” he said.

Air Chief Marshal Naik further said India should set long-term plans and bank on its capabilities considering the prevalent scenario.

“We need to look at the entire environment around the country. It doesn’t matter whether the country is near or far, bigger or small,” said Air Chief Marshal Naik on the sidelines of an International Conference on Energising Indian Aerospace Industry here today.

“You look at the entire environment and any factor which is likely to affect the growth of your country and you cater for it in your plans which have to be very long term and which cannot be country-specific. The plans have to be capability specific,” he added.

Air Chief Marshal Naik further stated that the Indian Air Force has made a long-term perspective plan, which stretched upto 2022, in which they have specified the types of capabilities extrapolating from what is currently available.

“This would be reviewed every three years,” he said.

The two-day international symposium on the theme ‘Achievements and Future Strategies’ has been jointly organised by the Centre for Air Power Studies, Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and the Confederation of Indian Industry. (ANI)