Military power stands as the ultimate arbiter of national power, Chief Of The Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh observed on Wednesday.
Speaking at the 22nd Subroto Mukherjee Seminar, he said if a country does not have a robust military, it can be subjugated by anyone, citing the examples of Venezuela and Iraq.
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He further pointed out that while military power is important, what is more important is the will to use that military power.
"Unless you have that will, you can keep showing restraint, but that restraint will be seen as a weakness. It is only when you are strong enough, and you show restraint, that it is seen as a capability," Air Marshal Singh said.
Highlighting the importance of air power, he said, "The part of military power that has come in handy, or which has delivered what was required to be delivered, is air power. It becomes very important that we focus our attention on this part of the military in case we want to be a force to reckon with."
"Whether it is getting people out of the conflict zone, whether it is to give a blow to terrorist infrastructure and their perpetrators, or whether it is attacking bases in Pakistan in a matter of a few hours to send a signal that enough is enough and bring them to their knees. It was the air power which did the trick, and that has to be remembered... Let us not rest on past glory. Let us brace up for the future challenges," he added.
