CDS Anil Chauhan Says 1962 China Attack Could Have Been Slowed with IAF Deployment

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan claimed that India’s Air Force could have significantly slowed China’s 1962 invasion if it had been deployed at the time. The statement came during a video message at the release of Lt. Gen. S.P.P. Thorat’s revised autobiography “Ravalli to Retreat” in Pune.

He added that at that time, deploying the Air Force was considered an aggressive move, but the situation today is completely different. He called India’s uniform application of the “Forward Policy” in Ladakh and the North-East Frontier Agency (present-day Arunachal Pradesh) a strategic mistake. According to him, while China had already intruded in Ladakh, India had a stronger claim in Arunachal, making it inappropriate to adopt the same policy in both regions.

General Chauhan also noted that Lt. Gen. Thorat had suggested the use of the Air Force during the 1962 war, but the government did not approve it. Had the Air Force been deployed, it would have given the Indian Army time to prepare and slowed China’s advance. He described this as a missed opportunity.

Referring to the recent Operation Sindoor, General Chauhan said that the use of the Air Force is now a standard part of military strategy. In the operation, India targeted terrorist camps in Pakistan and PoK, sending a clear message that the country no longer hesitates to respond to any threat.