General Anil Chauhan: Air Force Use in 1962 War Would Have Significantly Impeded Chinese Offensive

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan

Pune:

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan has stated that utilizing the Air Force during the 1962 Sino-Indian war would have significantly impeded Chinese offensive operations. While such action might have been considered "escalatory" at that time, current military thinking has evolved, as demonstrated by Operation Sindoor.

Reflecting on the conflict with China from 63 years ago, General Chauhan observed that applying the forward policy uniformly across both Ladakh and NEFA (now Arunachal Pradesh) was strategically unsound. He emphasized that these regions presented distinct historical disputes and vastly different terrain characteristics, making identical policy implementation fundamentally flawed.

General Chauhan noted that warfare methodology and security dynamics have undergone significant transformation over the intervening decades.

These remarks came via recorded video message presented Wednesday during the launch of Lieutenant General S P P Thorat's revised autobiography, "Reveille to Retreat," in Pune.

Lt Gen Thorat served as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Command during the preparatory phase of the Sino-Indian conflict.

General Chauhan characterized Lt Gen Thorat's autobiography as transcending typical military memoirs, offering profound insights into leadership principles, strategic thinking, and India's military historical development.

The CDS addressed specific requests to comment on the forward policy implementation and the decision against deploying the Indian Air Force during the 1962 conflict.

"Evaluating the adequacy of the forward policy from our current perspective presents challenges. Our contemporary views are inevitably influenced by substantial changes in geography and geopolitical landscapes," he explained.

General Chauhan highlighted how security parameters and military capabilities have evolved significantly since that period.

"My assessment is that the forward policy should have been implemented with regional differentiation between Ladakh and NEFA. These areas represented fundamentally different dispute histories, security contexts, and terrain configurations.

"In Ladakh, Chinese forces had already established control over substantial Indian territory, whereas India's territorial claims in NEFA stood on stronger legitimacy. Approaching these distinct situations with identical policies represented a strategic miscalculation," he stated.

General Chauhan indicated that Lt Gen Thorat had contemplated Air Force deployment, but governmental authorities withheld authorization for such measures.

"The IAF would have possessed significant tactical advantages during the 1962 conflict. Their operational benefits included reduced turnaround times, favorable geographical positioning, and capacity to deliver maximum payload impact against enemy forces. Implementing air power would have substantially decelerated Chinese offensive momentum, potentially halting it entirely.

"This approach would have afforded the Army crucial additional preparation time. During that era, Air Force deployment was viewed as potentially escalating the conflict. This perspective has clearly evolved, as Operation Sindoor effectively demonstrates," he observed.

It's notable that Operation Sindoor, conducted in May this year, involved Indian air power successfully dismantling terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the Pahalgam massacre in April.

"'Reveille to Retreat' transcends conventional autobiography. It presents thoughtful examination of leadership principles, strategic thinking, and committed service. The work illuminates power dynamics and decision-making processes, offering honest critique while extracting enduring lessons that maintain relevance today," General Chauhan remarked.

The CDS highlighted Lt Gen Thorat's distinguished military career spanning pre and post-independence India, noting his service in conflict zones that remain volatile today, including Waziristan and Peshawar in present-day Pakistan.

He commanded his battalion in Burma's Arakan (now Rakhine) state, where exemplary leadership earned him the Distinguished Service Order, before participating in the pivotal battles of Kohima and Imphal, General Chauhan recounted.

Lt Gen Thorat subsequently commanded the Custodian Force in Korea following the Armistice, receiving both the Ashoka Chakra Class II (later renamed the Kirti Chakra) and the Padma Bhushan for his service, he added.

"Korea remains divided along the 38th parallel, representing one of the world's most volatile geopolitical boundaries, illustrating the ongoing nature of conflicts he once helped manage," the CDS concluded.