By Shashwat Bhandari

Copyright timesnownews

New Delhi: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan has spoken on the Nehru-era blunder of not using India’s air power saying the Indian Air Force (IAF) deployment could have slowed down China. CDS General Anil Chauhan said that the use of the Air Force would have slowed the Chinese offensive considerably during the 1962 Sino-Indian war, and it may have been termed as ‘escalatory’ then, but that is not the case now, as seen in Operation Sindoor. It has been widely acknowledged by people in the past, including former Air Force chiefs, when they were serving. China at that time did not have the air force strength that it has in Tibet today, and India was a far superior air power. So under those circumstances, the use of the Air Force would have been very important and helpful, and could have slowed them (China) down, added to their casualties, and probably the war could have taken a different turn if the Air Force had been used, and this is widely accepted in the strategic community. It was also believed that at that point, if the Air Force had been used, it could have widened the war, and that was not something the government wanted to do. One more thing to note here is that China was not a nuclear power then, and all were conventional powers, so the question remains: why was the Air Force not used? In another development, CDS General Anil Chauhan’s tenure has been extended by another 8 months. The Defence Ministry announced that Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan’s tenure has been extended up to May next year. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the extension of service of General Anil Chauhan as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), who shall also function as Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Military Affairs, upto May 30, 2026, or until further orders. General Chauhan was appointed as CDS on September 28, 2022, according to the Ministry of Defence. General Chauhan was commissioned in the Indian Army in 1981 and has had a distinguished and illustrious career with key command & staff appointments. He was awarded with Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal for his exemplary services to the Indian Army, the release added. Meanwhile, the inaugural edition of the Tri Services Academia Technology Symposium (T-SATS) commenced on Monday at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi, synergising the Services-Academia R&D ecosystem for development of niche and futuristic technologies tailored for the Indian Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence said in an official statement. The symposium was inaugurated by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Anil Chauhan. The event witnessed participation from Directors and Heads of Departments of academic and premier R&D institutions, along with students from 62 institutes including IISc, IITs, IIITs and Private Technology Institutes. For all the latest news and india news, visit Times Now to get live updates and breaking news around the world.