Special Operations
Context:
- It is without a doubt the stuff of military mythology that the Indian Air Force (IAF)’s spectacular and dramatic aerial rescue of Indians stranded in the war-torn Sudan using their Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 ‘Super Hercules’ military transport aircraft at the ‘degraded’ Wadi Sayyidna airport.
IAF information:
- The Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces is the President.
- The Indian Air Force is the fourth-largest air force in the world.
- Administration: New Delhi
- Touch the skies with glory is the motto of the Indian Air Force.
- It was taken from the Bhagavad Gita’s eleventh chapter.
- The operational command of the air force is under the control of the Chief of Air Staff, an air chief marshal.
Important IAF operations:
- IAF participated in wars with Pakistan and the People’s Republic of China after gaining independence.
- Operation Meghdoot: On April 13, 1984, the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, and paramilitary forces started “Operation Meghdoot” to retake the heights commanding the Siachen glacier.
- IAF participated in relief efforts after natural disasters including the Gujarat storm in 1998 and the tsunami in 2004, among others.
Other important IAF operations include:
- 1961’s Operation Vijay
- 1965 saw the Second Kashmir War.
- 1971’s Bangladesh Liberation War
- 1987’s Operation Poomalai
- 1988’s Operation Cactus
- (1999) The Kargil War
- The air strike in Balakot
- The 2019 India-Pakistan standoff
- The IAF also took part in extensive rescue efforts for its citizens from all around the world. An example would be Operation Ganga or Operation Devi Shakti.
Challenges:
The component also confronts a lot of difficulties. such as:
- not very intelligent.
- No landing aids and a rough runway.
- Space weaponization
- Making airplanes domestically has proven to be expensive.
- Regarding the air force, there is a lack of cooperation between PSUs and the private sector.
- The amount of money diverted is insufficient and causes concern.
- Pakistan and China are the two main dangers to India. Joint operations with friendly states are therefore necessary.
- IAF would need adequate synchronization with these technologies as numerous technologies in all fields, including cyber, space, electromagnetic spectrum, etc., require correct approaches to fulfill national objectives.
The core of special operations:
- Stick and throttle operations, night vision equipment, and dark nights are only a small portion of what special missions entail. Each participant of such a mission carries the honor of a country on his shoulders.
- They are the “strategic corporals” of India. This phrase was created by American General Charles C. Krulak. The Marine Corps indicates that institutional training should take this into account because, in modern warfare, even the enlisted man on the front lines can have a strategic impact on a country’s policy.
Moving ahead:
- These combat support assets are essential for humanitarian aid and disaster relief, which are crucial cogs in military diplomacy and foreign policy, as India tries to establish itself as a regional power of consequence. India would suffer if they were neglected, especially as they are essential for maintaining kinetic power as well.
