Chief of Staff of the Air Force: “The militarization and weaponization of space is inevitable”

Air Chief Marshal Chaudhry said that space has become a key area of ​​military operations.

New Delhi:

Indian Air Chief Marshal Chaudhry said on Wednesday that the “militarization and weaponization” of space has become an “inevitable reality” as countries increasingly rely on space-based assets to establish strategic advantage.

He said this while speaking at the “Aerospace Power in Future Conflicts” seminar at Subroto Park.

“Throughout human history, the sky has often been seen as a realm of wonder and exploration, where dreams take flight and borders disappear into the vast blue,” he said.

However, behind this calm lies a “competitive arena where the battle for air superiority” has shaped the fate of many countries and determined the outcome of many wars, the Indian Air Force chief said.

He said: “As we navigate the unknown skies, air power, as an important component of national power, will undoubtedly play a key role. It is also a symbol of national power and a tool of peace and cooperation.”

Air Chief Marshal Chaudhry said the understanding of the military operating environment has “significantly transformed” over the past few decades, from a battlefield primarily driven by force, time and space to one capable of simultaneously and across multiple domains. Systematic arrangements for independent operations.

“We all need to acknowledge that future wars will be fought differently,” he said.

Future conflicts will be characterized by the simultaneous use of kinetic and non-kinetic energy, high levels of battle space transparency, multi-domain operations, high precision, enhanced lethality, compressed sensor-to-fire cycles, all of which are closely watched by the media, he added. .

Chief of Air Staff Marshal Chowdhury said space has also become “a critical domain for conducting military operations” where seamless communications, navigation and surveillance capabilities will enhance the survivability of modern armies.

“As countries increasingly rely on space-based assets to establish strategic advantages, the militarization and weaponization of space has become an inevitable reality,” he said.

Air and space control and denial capabilities “will play a decisive role” in advancing all operations. To achieve this, he said, “we need to gain and maintain not only information advantage but also decision-making advantage.”

“Emerging technologies such as CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) sensors, intelligent decision support matrices, manned-unmanned collaboration and robust and redundant C2 networks are key capabilities that need to be developed,” the Indian Air Force chief added.

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