Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday (5 May) exhorted the Indian Air Force (IAF) to become an Aerospace Force and be prepared to protect the country from the challenges of the future.

Delivering the keynote address for the 37th Air Chief Marshal PC Lal Memorial Lecture in New Delhi on Thursday, Singh called for technology evolution, gaining expertise and human resource management to defend the country against space-guided attacks and protect the space assets.

“Change is the law of nature. It is eternal. This law is applicable to war as well. As students of military affairs and geopolitics, it is our duty to keep anticipating the nature of future wars. Steps are being taken by our adversaries towards military use of space. This is likely to have an adverse effect on our interests. We, therefore, need to identify and be fully prepared for the evolving security challenges,” he said, according to a Defence Ministry release.

Singh's statement comes as China has been trying to militarise space for both offensive and defensive operations.

China's 2019 white paper China's National Defense in the New Era notes a growing role in space for the People's Liberation Army Air Force.

"In line with the strategic requirements of integrating air and space capabilities as well as coordinating offensive and defensive operations, the PLAAF is accelerating the transition of its tasks from territorial air defense to both offensive and defensive operations," the paper said, reports Voice of America.

The Defence Minister added that the nature of future wars can be assessed through a closer look at the situation in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan and the recent Ukrainian conflict.

“Although these trends are suggestive, but we can gain a deeper understanding by correlating them with our local threats,” he said.

Singh voiced the government’s resolve to provide specialised skills training to the Armed Forces personnel, especially IAF, in latest technology to make them future ready.

Highlighting the importance of technology in wars, Singh said, the use of technology has seen an unprecedented increase in recent times.

He, however, stated that expensive platforms or weapon systems do not alone ensure victory, it is their employment which gives an edge in wars.

“Be it precision guided munition, unmanned aerial vehicles or manpack anti-tank weapons, their deployment in any future war will be as critical as it had been in the past. Technology is a force multiplier, but without innovative deployment, state-of-the-art equipment will be a mere display,” he added.