Indian Air Force veterans on Saturday expressed deep anger and shock at chief of defence staff General Bipin Rawat describing the IAF as a “supporting arm” in the planned integrated theatre commands of the three armed forces.
Speaking at the same event later on Friday, Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria had disagreed with Rawat, a former army chief, saying “airpower has a huge role”.
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Rawat, tasked by the Narendra Modi government to facilitate the integration process, had been asked at the programme, organised online by the think tank Global Counter Terrorism Council, about the IAF not being keen on the proposed theatre commands integrating the capabilities of the tri-services.