Future Employment of Air Power: Strategic Inferences for India

The varied employment of air power in the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza highlights its contemporary dynamics. Its continuous evolution since its inception in warfare has historically contributed to an inadequate understanding of its capabilities and challenges in optimising its leverage. The differing contexts of its application in wars and conflicts have led to diverse perceptions of air power's utility, alongside periodic attempts to question its relevance or anticipate its premature decline as a military instrument. Its relentless, technology-driven development has expanded air power's capabilities, capacities, and employment options. Far from diminishing, air power will remain a potent element in the arsenal of nations' comprehensive national power and is likely to do so in the foreseeable future. Given India's unique threat landscape, characterised by two adversarial air forces, the relevance of the vertical dimension in warfare and its global application provide valuable strategic insights for India's security. The author examines the contemporary use of air power in Russia's and Israel's recent conflicts to extract key strategic inferences within India's distinct threat context. This involves addressing two formidable adversarial air forces, integral to the military strategies of China and Pakistan, and emphasises the importance of multi-domain, joint-force air power in safeguarding India's national security and interests.