Indian Air Force’s 3rd WASP Program Concludes with High-Level Seminar on National Security

New Delhi: Indian Air Force on Tuesday conducted a capstone seminar marking culmination of No 3 Warfare and Aerospace Strategy Program (WASP) at Air Force Auditorium in New Delhi. seminar, med "India's Strategic Culture and Imperative for Contemporary National Security," was conducted under aegis of College of Air Warfare and Centre for Air Power Studies, according to a press release from Ministry of Defence.  

WASP is a strategic education programme of 15 weeks duration, initiated in 2022 to provide participants with a deep understanding of geopolitics, grand strategy, and Comprehensive National Power. broer aim is to nurture critical thinkers capable of blending cross-domain knowledge to generate policy-driving ideas at strategic level.  

Tri-Services Participation and Intensive Training  

This edition of WASP saw tri-services participation for first time, including fourteen officers from Indian Air Force, two from Indian Navy, one from Indian Army, and a research scholar. participants underwent intensive training in strategy, military history, civil-military relations, higher defence organisations, aerospace power, information warfare, technology, and hybrid warfare. program was guided by an external faculty comprising accomplished practitioner scholars with extensive teaching and research experience.

program gruates were awarded a PG diploma in Strategic Studies by Rashtriya Raksha University. Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Chief of Air Staff (CAS), delivered keynote dress at seminar, attended by Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Manoj Pande, Chief of Army Staff, senior officers from all three services, aerospace power scholars, acemia, and established defence correspondents.  

Keynote dress and Strategic Insights  

In his keynote dress, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari highlighted dynamic environment of modern warfare, emphasizing that military leers must not only be ept at combat but also possess strategic thinking and an understanding of evolving geopolitical landscape. He congratulated course participants for completing rigorous program and complimented mentors who guided m through program. CAS urged participants to continue with same zeal in forthcoming editions of WASP.  

In first session of seminar, participants presented ir papers on topics such as 'Examining International Relations through India's Strategic Culture' and 'Military Outlook through Strategic Partnerships.' second session featured discussions on 'Evolution of Civil-Military Relations in India' and 'Imperatives of Evolving Security Environment on Future Contours of Civil-Military Fusion (CMF),' release said.  

Including tri-services participation underscores importance of joint operations and inter-service collaboration in contemporary national security. WASP program's continued focus on nurturing strategic thinkers will ensure that Indian Armed Forces remain well-prepared to navigate intricacies of modern warfare and geopolitical dynamics.