That Operation Sindoor’s shadow would loom over the annual press conference of the chief of air staff was a given. That he would not rise to the occasion but fall in the trap was both a surprise and a pity. At his first media interaction after the air operation which portended the new form of war, Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh should have ideally addressed issues that emerged from the four-day air conflict with Pakistan, the lessons learnt and IAF’s priorities in the short and the medium term, given that long term doesn’t work in India.

The few issues that the CAS should have addressed thoughtfully were the gap in both numbers and capabilities, balance between aatmanirbharta and critical requirements, slow pace of networking and data-linking, ad hoc purchases driven by political whimsy, lessons in jointness and coordination, and the elephant in the room—the theatre commands.

Sure, the chief touched upon all of these, but in a rhetorical and flippant manner, bordering on boastfulness. And in the bargain, he dented his own credibility amongst the discerning observers of the IAF. After all, one resorts to bluster when truth is unpalatable.

Celebrating the 93rd Indian Air Force Day, the October issue of FORCE, looks at all these issues in the belief that in future conflicts, the IAF will have to be the lead service. Hence, it must be bold, not only in its medium-term plans, but also in articulating those with clarity. It should leave political bluster to politicians. While the lead article cautions against imposition of a foreign model of theatre commands on the Indian military, the following article highlights the deleterious impact of extending the long unaccountable rope to defence public sector undertakings on IAF’s modernisation. Another article explores the possibility of using India’s purchasing power of aero engines, to kickstart indigenous programmes, including Kaveri. There is also a sobering article on aerial weapons. Hopefully, the IAF special ensemble will provoke some thinking.

Pure IAF-specific articles aside, the October issue also includes articles on the notion of victory (inspired by Operation Sindoor), whether Indian Army’s new structural organisations, such Bhairav, Rudra and Shaktibaan, can lead to a decisive win and how India must make good of the once in a century opportunity to realise its dream of industrial self-sufficiency, both in military as well as dual use technologies, such as shipbuilding.

In addition to these are news reports, book extracts and the FORCE regulars. Enjoy the issue.