In the backdrop of persisting stand-offs at the border in Ladakh and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, IAF chief V R Chaudhari on Thursday urged the force to be ready for intense and small duration operations at a short notice as well as long drawn out face-offs.
Sounding this note of caution here, he said, "In the force, space and time continuum, there would be a need for us to prepare for short swift wars as well as be ready for a long drawn standoff akin to what we are seeing in eastern Ladakh."
Chaudhari also said the recent experiences of IAF as well as the evolving geopolitical scenario mandates it to be operationally and logistically responsive at all times. He made these observations in an address in a seminar.
"The current geopolitical situation necessitates IAF to prepare for intense and small duration operations at a short notice. This new paradigm of high-intensity operations, coupled with minimal build-up time would require major changes in terms of operational logistics," he said.
The IAF chief said logistics support in such a scenario would be extremely challenging considering the fact that the force has a fairly vast and diversified inventory. There will be a need to cater for "resources bridging" and transportation for such contingencies, he said.
Chaudhari stressed on a focused action plan for indigenisation of all critical components in order to achieve the nation's mandate of 'Atma-Nirbharata' (self-reliance).
He said logistics have been identified as a critical tool for the nation's economic progress, noting that there would be a need to cater for resource bridging.
The Chief also pitched for formalising an "integrated road and rail management plan and explore the feasibility of increased containerisation and use of civilian wide-bodied aircraft."
Highlighting various aspects of military preparedness, the IAF chief observed that the way forward would be to have a serviceability linked inventory management system.Elaborating upon it, he highlighted the need for re-evaluating the demand for forecasting methods and stockpiling for issues like availability of spares.
"Flexible stocking policies with modern forecasting techniques would help in demand sensing and prepositioning of items at bases. We must also review our procurement strategies in order to reduce lead time for supplies and preempt problems of supply chain obsolescence," the IAF Chief said.
India relies heavily on Russia for the supply of military hardware including spares. There have been apprehensions in the military establishment about the possibility of inordinate delays in the supply of critical spares and other equipment by Russia in view of its conflict in Ukraine.
Chaudhari said to standardise logistical functions and provide a blueprint for the future, there was a need to look at a vision document for operational logistics that would define the foundational precincts of logistics support in the IAF during combat.