Winning India's Next War BY T D Joseph

Within a century from its inception, air power (and now increasingly aerospace power) has acquired a dominant role in the foreign policy of nations in wars and use of force not necessarily leading to war. In spite of some enthusiasts claiming otherwise, aerospace power can-not win a war by itself; but it is also true that no modern war can be won without it. Wars that we are likely to be faced with would be limited in nature, whether they are sub-conventional (employing irregular strategies like terrorism, etc.), or conventional. Aerospace power would remain the core of credible nuclear deterrence for defence. Aerospace power would tilt the balance even more effectively in limited wars than it does in full-scale classical wars. It is in this context that the author has examined the role of aerospace power in winning our wars in the future.