IAF Chief VR Chaudhari Alerts On Global Conflict Threat: Ideological Divisions And Resource Scarcity

Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari said on Friday that the threat of global conflict is very high. Ideological differences, a lack of resources, and climate change are all making this threat worse.

At the 20th Subroto Mukherjee Seminar, which was held at the Manekshaw Center, the Air Chief talked about India and the Global South.

The Air Chief said that international relations are always changing and that new players are putting traditional power structures to the test. He also said that there is a big risk of global conflict, which is caused by ideological differences, a lack of resources, and climate change, which has caused problems like economic inequality and resource exploitation that are linked.

“Black Swan events like COVID-19 and conflicts like the ones we’re seeing around the world have made things worse.” Even with all of this, countries in the Global South are showing strength and long-term economic growth. This group is expected to have 10 of the world’s 10 largest economies by 2030. India will be one of them. “There will be problems, but there will also be many opportunities in the future,” Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari said.

He also said that the IAF could easily be a force for progress, helping to build strategic partnerships and move the Global South forward as a whole.

“Just in the last nine years, the Indian Air Force has trained more than 5,000 foreigners from countries in the global south, and that number keeps going up.” “In addition to long-term training, short-term courses on specific areas of expertise for target countries can be planned and regularly offered,” Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari said.

The Chief of Air Staff also said that India’s growing ability to defend itself has already made it possible for the country to form partnerships and sell its goods abroad. Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari said that platforms like Akash, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), and Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) give air forces in the Global South reliable and competitive options. This increases India’s economic and technological power.

“We have increased the footprint of training and cooperation with these nations and IAF conducts regular training programs for these partner nations sharing best practices in the fields of operations and maintenance,” Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari stated.

“The Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation program (ITEC) and the Indian Military Advisory Teams’ (IMAT) work have made it possible for more cooperation to happen.” These kinds of programs have mostly been about building people’s skills and abilities. ITEC has trained more than 200,000 people in the defense and civilian sectors over the years, Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari said.