Airfields in Tibet not ready for offensive operations: Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa

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Chethan Kumar

BENGALURU: Just days after diplomatic efforts saw the Indian and Chinese armies withdraw their troops from the standoff point in Doklam, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa on Saturday said the airfields in Tibet across India's border with China lack requisite military infrastructure for the latter to carry out offensive operations, while pointing out that India itself needs to build critical infrastructure.

He said satellite images have shown that the available airfields in Tibet—where China maintains a continuous air presence—are not optimized for offensive operations as they lack military infrastructure.

"If you look at other airfields that are optimized for offensive operations, you will see that there is a difference among those which mean business and the ones (airfields in Tibet) which are optimised for ensuring regional connectivity," he said, delivering the Air Chief Marshal LM Katre memorial Lecture here.

Pointing out that other airfields across the border are more than 400kms away, Dhanoa said it was difficult to sustain air operations from where they (Chinese airfields) are located on the Indo-Tibetian border. "... In case the relationship deteriorates or something adverse happens, the buildup on infrastructure is going to be the first step anybody would take before envisaging an offensive operation in this sector," he said.

Reiterating that India too needs to build critical infrastructure, he said that in the northern and eastern sectors, the country needs to concentrate and build infrastructure for operational efficiency, given the internal security threat perceptions in the sector.

"However, in the air, there is no doubt. Fighters or armed aircraft from both sides under the confidence building measures maintain more than 10km distance from the LAC, which was not violated even during the recent standoff in Doklam.

Speaking on the western border, Dhanoa, without naming Pakistan, said: "In most countries, the state has an army; there, the army has a state."

Pointing to how various confrontations with India have served the neighbouring country, Dhanoa said: "It is in their best interest to keep this threat alive and keep the pot boiling with the insurgency in Kashmir."