Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan said on Wednesday that if the Air Force had been used in the 1962 Indo-China war, the Chinese invasion would have slowed down to a great extent. At that time it was considered a ‘stress -increasing step’, but now it is not the case, as seen in Operation Sindoor.
Speaking about the war with China 63 years ago, he said that the ‘Forward Policy’ adopted at that time should not have been implemented equally to Ladakh and North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) to Arunachal Pradesh. He said that the history, security situation and geographical location of the dispute between the two areas was different, so adopting the same policy proved wrong.
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Important glimpse of India’s military history in autobiography
General Chauhan was speaking through a video message in the release program of the revised version of the late Lieutenant General SPP Thorat in Pune. Thorat was the head of the Eastern Command before the 1962 war. On this occasion, he said that this autobiography is not just memories of a soldier, but it gives an important glimpse of leadership, strategy and India’s military history.
Government did not allow the use of Air Force to use Air Force
CDS Chauhan said that Thorat was considering the use of the Air Force, but the government of that time did not allow it. He said, ‘The use of air power in the 1962 war would give great advantage to the Indian side. The geographical location of the Air Force in Ladakh and Northeast, the ability to attack in a short time and the ability to attack more weight on the enemy. This would have slowed China’s lead, and the army would have given more time for preparation.
At that time, the use of Air Force is considered a step to increase stress
CDS Chauhan said that the use of the Air Force at that time was considered as ‘escalatry’, but it is not so today. He said that recently ‘Operation Sindoor’ in May 2025 is an example of this, when India demolished them using the Air Force at terrorist bases in Pakistan and PoK after the Pahalgam attack.
The commander of the Custodian Force was also Thorat
Recalling Thorat’s career, General Chauhan said that he also took command in the Arakan region of Waziristan, Peshawar and Burma (now Myanmar) and also participated in the historical battles of Kohima and Imphal. Later, after the Korea war, he was the commander of the Custodian Force there. He was awarded the Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra and Padma Bhushan for his bravery and leadership.