Indian Air Force Commanders’ Conference to end today
India’s Air Force Commanders’ Conference (AFCC) will conclude today after three days of consultations at New Delhi’s Air Headquarters.
The AFCC is integral to the postulation of the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) combat scenarios and long-term strategic planning. Expect deliberations to focus on simmering tensions with China; recent deadly conflagration around the Line of Actual Control (LAC)—the de facto border between the two states—led the IAF to deploy its strategic first-line fighter jet and air defense assets to bases in East Ladakh.
Despite calls for deescalation from Beijing and New Delhi, relations will likely remain tense. While devolution into full-scale conflict is unlikely, China’s increasingly maximalist territorial claims have boosted the likelihood of periodic—and potentially catastrophic—escalation around the contested Ladakh-Aksai Chin region. India has likewise signaled its resolve by revising its rules of engagement and requesting that France expedite deliveries of advanced Rafale fighter jets.
A framework for the operational use of the Rafales will likely stem from the AFCC, with the first batch of the jets slated for delivery on July 29. By granting the IAF a qualitative edge and allowing it to adopt a more assertive posture against China, the Rafales will constitute the core of the IAF’s strategic capabilities in the upcoming decade and significantly alter the architecture of regional security.
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