New Delhi, 22 Dec (PTI): Pitching for greater military-to-military cooperation between India and countries in the Global South, Air Chief Marshal (ACM) V. R. Chaudhari said on Friday that the Indian Air Force (IAF) might easily act as a catalyst for progress, fostering strategic partnerships and contributing to the collective advancement of the Global South. These engagements were crucial for tackling shared security challenges and ensuring regional stability, he noted.
“We have increased the footprint of training and cooperation with these nations and IAF conducts regular training programmes for these partner nations sharing best practices in the fields of operations and maintenance,” he said speaking on ‘India and the Global South: opportunities and challenges’ as part of the 20th Subroto Mukerjee memorial lecture organised by the Centre for Air Power Studies. “In the past nine years, the IAF alone has trained more than 5,000 trainees from countries of the Global South and this number is only increasing.”
During the seminar, the Air Chief also released two books — Indian Air Force: contemporary and future dynamics authored by Air Marshal D. Choudhary (retd.) and Aeroengine fundamentals and landscape in India authored by Air Vice Marshal Suresh Singh (retd.).
Over the years, India has played a proactive role on international forums to protect the Global South’s interest and is giving voice to the countries belonging to this group, the Air Chief noted. “The world is at a pivotal juncture and winds of change are blowing strongly in our favour. India’s rise in the Global South marks a pivotal point in international affairs.”
ACM Chaudhari said the roles played by the Indian military advisory teams and courses offered through Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programme (ITEC) paved the way for increased cooperation, adding such programmes focused on capacity building and human resource development. “Over the years, the ITEC has trained more than 2,00,000 officials in both civil and the defence sector.”
Referring to the long term training IAF offers to countries in the Global South, ACM Chaudhari said short term curated courses on specific areas of expertise for target countries could be formulated and offered on a regular basis. Technological transfer and subject matter expert exchanges could also play a big part by sharing our advancements in these fields involving collaborative research reports, technology demonstrations and capacity building programmes in areas such as aircraft maintenance, radar systems and cybersecurity, he stated. “Opportunities for growth materialise through strategic partnerships, technological innovation and a commitment to sustainable development.”
He also made a pitch for defence exports with platforms such as the Light Combat Aircraft, Light Combat helicopter and Akash surface-to-air missiles which offer “competitive and reliable options” for air forces of the Global South, boosting India’s “economic and technological clout”. Further, establishing joint ventures with these nations could be mutually beneficial, ACM Chaudhari said and this could involve co-development of components, sharing production facilities and creating regional maintenance and support hubs. “Capability development in the areas of global supply chains, creating manufacturing hubs and setting up Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) are some areas that we need to concentrate on,” he added.