Air Force Use Could Have Slowed China in 1962 War: CDS Chauhan

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan stated that deploying the Indian Air Force during the 1962 Sino-Indian War would have significantly slowed the Chinese offensive, potentially buying crucial time for ground forces to regroup. Speaking in a video message at the launch of the revised autobiography of late Lieutenant General S.P.P. Thorat, General Chauhan reflected on the conflict's strategic missteps, emphasizing that such air power use was once viewed as escalatory but is now a viable option, as demonstrated in recent operations.

The event, held Wednesday in Pune, marked the release of "Reveille to Retreat," Lt Gen Thorat's memoir detailing his tenure as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command ahead of the 1962 war. General Chauhan described the book as more than a personal account, calling it a critical examination of leadership, strategy, and India's military evolution. He addressed queries on the controversial forward policy and the decision to withhold IAF involvement, noting that hindsight is shaped by post-war geopolitical shifts, altered terrain dynamics, and enhanced force capabilities.

General Chauhan critiqued the uniform application of the forward policy across Ladakh and the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA, now Arunachal Pradesh), arguing it overlooked their distinct dispute histories and terrains. In Ladakh, China had already seized substantial Indian territory, while India's claims in NEFA were more robust. "To equate the two and pursue identical policies was, in my view, a bit flawed," he said. He added that Lt Gen Thorat had advocated for air support, which could have leveraged shorter turnaround times and heavier payloads to disrupt Chinese advances, though the government at the time deemed it too risky.

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The CDS contrasted 1962's hesitancy with modern precedents like Operation Sindoor in May 2025, where India used air strikes to target terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the April Pahalgam massacre. This shift underscores evolving warfare norms. General Chauhan also honored Lt Gen Thorat's legacy, from earning the Distinguished Service Order in Burma's Arakan campaigns to commanding the Custodian Force in post-Armistice Korea, where he received the Ashoka Chakra Class II and Padma Bhushan. Thorat's experiences in enduring hotspots like Waziristan and the battles of Kohima and Imphal highlight the timeless relevance of his insights amid ongoing global tensions.

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