The IAF’s Mirage-2000s struck a Jaish-e-Mohammed camp in Balakot on February 26, 2019, in response to the Pulwama suicide bombing attack in Kashmir in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force men were killed twelve days earlier.

The CAS flew a MiG-21 Type 69 aircraft of 51 Squadron in a formation comprising of one MiG-21, two Mirage-2000s and two Sukhoi-30 MKIs.The 51 Squadron was activated following the Balakot Airstrike in 2019, and Wg Cdr Abhinandan Varthaman was a part of the 51 Squadron.

Speaking at a seminar in New Delhi, on 28 February, Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria said that the IAF was enhancing its weapon capabilities, sensor and network capabilities and enhancing ability for secure communication.

He said the air force could have struck Balakot with twice the number of warplanes and launched four times the weapons but it didn’t do so to ensure there was no collateral damage and India could take the moral high ground.

He said Pakistan’s response on February 27 to the Balakot air strikes was tailored to seek de-escalation as the neighbouring air force didn’t strike any targets and its action was aimed only at the domestic Pakistani audience. The air chief said the PAF was in a “hurry to disengage” and the IAF’s engagement surprised them.

In an interview to a newspaper, Bhadauria said the Balakot airstrike redefined the use of air power and marked a tectonic shift in government’s policy on national security.

He added that while there has been a “battle of narratives” over the event, and the subsequent air operations, the airstrike was one of the most important military operations undertaken by India. “The fact remains that the Balakot airstrikes were the most significant air action by the IAF in over four decades, when our fighters penetrated deep into Pakistan airspace, executed a precise attack on the terror camp and returned home unchallenged.”

At the time of the airstrike, Pakistan said there were no casualties, while New Delhi called the attack a pre-emptive strike that hit a terrorist training camp and killed “a very large number” of militants. Pakistan had countered India’s claim that it destroyed a Jaish-e-Mohammad madrassa, alleging that only a few trees had been felled in the Indian Air Force strike, and took representatives of some international media houses and foreign diplomats to the site in Balakot.

The air chief said that India was also able to use different channels to de-escalate the conflict and bring things back to normal, something that was not thought to be possible after the use of air power. He lauded the political and diplomatic efforts to quickly de-escalate the situation.

Weapons Edge

One crucial lesson from the Balakot air strike and air skirmishes that followed, was that India should not allow weapon edge over Pakistan to “slip back” once it is achieved with the induction of Rafale fighter jets and other weapon upgradation including indigenous missiles.

“It (weapon edge) did not materialiseat the time of Balakot and it will soon materialise with the induction of Rafale,” said Air Force chief. He said that IAF had an edge over Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in terms of Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile capability at the time of Kargil. “We allowed that to slip and, thereafter, it took a decade and half in our struggle to acquire similar or better capabilities,” he said.

Pakistan Air Force F16s, which had come to target Indian military installations on 27 February 2019 were armed with the Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile AMRAAM which has higher range than that of the R-77 on IAF’s Su 30MKI. However, 36 Rafale fighter jets, which India has purchased come with Meteor air-to-air missiles that have a range of 150 kms. Presently, PAF does not have missiles to counter Meteor missiles.

“With Rafale we will recover the edge, but we can’t depend only on Meteor. This capability on Rafale has to be complemented with similar capability on our other platforms…The indigenous Astra missile is required on Sukhoi-30s, MiG-29s and the light combat aircraft,” he said.

Developed by the DRDO, the Astra BVR air-to-air missile has a range of more than 100 km. User trials of the missile have been completed and the IAF is expected to place orders soon. The missile is expected to be the standard long-range weapons across the air force’s fighter fleet.

Air Power in Sub-conventional Conflicts

The air chief said the decision to use air power in a sub-conventional scenario was a paradigm shift. It was a clear message to Pakistan that terrorist attacks on Indian soil were unacceptable and would draw a military response.

He said that Balakot air strike showed there exists a space below the conventional conflict boundaries, where IAF can be utilised for targeting, yet have controlled escalation.Air chief, Fali Major had proposed aerial strikes against terror pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks but the government did not take that route.

Bhadauria said the use of air power was considered taboo in sub-conventional conflict until the government took the “tough and bold call” to strike at the very heart of terrorist training infrastructure located deep across the Line of Control (LoC). “It [the Balakot operation] was a very clear demonstration that there exists a space below the conventional [war] boundary wherein IAF can be utilised for targeting and yet have escalation control.”

Bhadauria said: “We have instituted measures covering the entire spectrum of induction of new capability, operational training and tactics, which will further enhance the Indian Air Force’s operational capability to undertake any such mission at short notice.”

Defence Minister’s Take

Defence minister Rajnath Singh said India’s “out-of-the-box response” forced the rewriting of many doctrines across the LoC and an adversary would think a hundred times before any future misadventures. He said the surgical strike of 2016 and Balakot air strikes were not just military strikes but a strong message to Pakistan that terror infrastructure across the border cannot be used as a safe haven to wage low-cost war against India.

“Our approach to terrorism was and will remain a judicious combination of clinical military action and mature and responsible diplomatic outreach,” he said.

 “We have recently seen the impact of collective diplomatic and financial pressure on Pakistan. Terrorists like Hafiz Saeed who were treated like VIPs and heroes, have been put behind bars. We realise that this is not enough and unless Pakistan is made accountable, it will continue with its previous policy of duplicity and deceit. All attempts are being made to work in this direction,”Rajnath said.

CDS on Balakot Strike

Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat said it was important for the military to have credible deterrence to execute the tasks assigned to it. “Credible deterrence comes from the will of the military leadership and intent of the political class while taking tough decisions. This was amply shown after Kargil, Uri and Pulwama.”

Rawat said the Indian armed forces should stay prepared to get “launched again and again” should acts of terrorism be perpetrated on Indian soil.”If the defence forces have to be prepared to execute the roles and tasks assigned to them, it is important we maintain credible deterrence at all times… on land, at sea and in the air. The capabilities of the three services must run concurrently so that together they become a force to reckon with,” he added.

Former Air Chief Dhanoa

Former IAF chief BS Dhanoa, too, described the attack as a paradigm shift in Indian military operations. “The other side never believed that we could carry out an [air] strike inside Pakistan to take out a terror training camp that we successfully carried out,” he said on Wednesday. “After Balakot air strike, there was no major terrorist attack throughout the Indian elections because they were scared that we will respond again in the same manner or even more devastatingly.”

Army Chief on Naravane

At a media interaction on January 3, army chief General MM Naravane stated that the cross-border surgical strikes’ in 2016 and Balakot had called Pakistan’s nuclear bluff.

Gen Naravane said the strikes had shown the fact that terrorist camps, infrastructure and launch pads all can be taken down and that you cannot operate with impunity’. This statement prompted a response from Pakistan’s nuclear establishment.

At a February 3 seminar at the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies on February 3, Lt General Khalid Kidwai (retired), a former head and now an adviser to Pakistan’s Strategic Plans Division and one of the most influential voices in the strategic establishment, issued a note of caution. Indian authorities, he said, were drawing dangerously wrong conclusions about what they are referring to as Pakistan’s nuclear bluff.’

Comments

On the first anniversary of the Pulwama terrorist attack, the question is how does the road ahead look with regard to India-Pakistan relations. As far as India is concerned, the onus remains on Pakistan to recognise the danger that terrorism poses to stability.

The question that arises is first, whether the objectives of the attack were met? And if yes, can or should it be done again? As in all military operations, actual objectives operate at many levels. The official stated objective was ‘self-defence’, given that terrorists at the facility were planning further attacks on India. The unstated one was sending a message both to a domestic audience and to the world at large, and Pakistan, in particular.

What mattered, and which Pakistan realised instantly, was that a Rubicon had been crossed as India shook free of its self-imposed ‘restraint’ despite the nuclear overhang. That has changed the situation for good. The desperation of the Pakistani establishment was more than apparent, as its Prime Minister used any and every podium to warn of nuclear war. The fact that no one paid much attention only worsened Islamabad’s desperation.

But infiltration continues to rise, though terror attacks have reduced. Balakot did not stop terrorism in its entirety, but then it was never expected to. The objective was to raise the issue to a new level. Today, Pakistan is under a severe threat due to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) questioning its every move.

Whether Delhi will choose to escalate or not next time round is the ultimate and crucial question for Rawalpindi planners.

Balakot gave the military the boost in morale that it badly needed after years of ‘restraint’. It gave the country, long tired of other Pulwamas going without retribution, a certain righteous belief in itself, and signalled to the world that Delhi was no longer going to play possum in the long battle against terrorism. A significant lowering of India’s threshold to terrorist attacks is what the aftermath of Pulwama, thus, represents in strategic terms.

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Strike and Counter-strike

Operation Bandar

The IAF’s mission to bomb the terrorist hideout in Balakot, Pakistan, was given the codename ‘Operation Bandar’. It was a rare operation in which the IAF crossed the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and dropped bombs on targets in Pakistani territory. Balakot is a small town located in Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.  On February 26, 2019, Indian Air Force’s Mirage-2000 fighter jets took off from airbases across India. The Indian Air Force jets crossed the LoC in J&K and bombed Jaish terror camps in Balakot with precision-guided missiles.

Pakistan’s Retaliation

Pakistan retaliated a day after. The Pakistan Air Force attempted an airstrike on Indian soil. The Indian Air Force launched its fighter jets in response, leading to a rare dogfight between the Indian and Pakistani jets. In the skirmish, an IAF MiG-21 Bison fighter jet shot down a Pakistani F-16 during the conflict. Indian Mig-21, which was being flown by Wg Cdr Abhinandan Varthaman, was also shot down and he was captured by the Pakistani forces. After much deliberation, Wg Cdr Abhinandan was released two days later from Pakistan’s hold. This development calmed the tensions between the two nations after two weeks of heightened conflict.

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Defence minister Rajnath Singh (3R), CDS General Bipin Rawat (3L), Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria (2R), Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh (R), Chairman of DRDO, G Satheesh Reddy (2L) and Air Marshal KK Nohwar (retd), DG, Centre for Air Power Studies, at a seminar in New Delhi on 28 February 2020.

The JeM training camp at Jabba Top, Balakot

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Pulwama-Balakot Timeline

Feb 14, 2019. Forty CRPF jawans killed in Pulwama terror attack as suicide bomber rams a car laden with explosives into a CRPF bus

Feb 19. Jaish-e-Mohammed claims responsibility

Feb 20. NIA takes over Pulwama case

Feb 26. IAF bombs Jaish base in Balakot, Pakistan

Feb 27. IAF jet shot, Pakistan captures the Indian pilot, Wg Cdr Abhinandan Varthaman

Feb 28. India gives proof of Pak aggression

March 1. Wg Cdr Abhinandan returns home after being released from captivity by Pakistan

June 26. No intelligence failure in the case of Pulwama attack, Centre tells Lok Sabha

July 3. Four of five terrorists involved in Pulwama attack killed and one arrested, Centre tells Parliament

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The ground-breaking ceremony began with inter-faith prayers as four religious teachers, representing the four main religions of India, read lines from their sacred texts, wishing prosperity and well being for the building that will come up and people who will work in it.

Christened ‘Thal Sena Bhawan’, the multi-storeyed complex is designed “like a rising sun” and it will be spread over nearly 39 acres, officials said.The Army headquarters is currently housed in the iconic South Block at Raisina Hill in Lutyens’ Delhi.

Approximately 7.5 lakh sqm of the area will be constructed to house the office complex and parking. A total of 6,014 offices will be constructed which will house offices for 1684 officers both military and civilian. 1,300 sub staff will be accommodated in the new building. The new building complex will also have 250 security personnel for whom lodging facility will be there on the campus.

The cost of the project will be in excess of Rs 700 crore. The Defence Ministry in a statement later said the building, expected to be constructed in five years, will house offices, residential complex for security personnel with basic amenities.

The building will comply to ‘prestigious norms’ and have a GRIHA-5 rating. It will have three entry-cum-exit points – NH-44, Parade Road and Link Road.

There is movement of about 3,000-4,000 vehicles every day from various army establishments in the city and this would be not required once the ‘Thal Sena Bhawan’ comes up. There will be parking for 4,000 cars.

The new department of military affairs headed by the chief of defence staff (CDS) will be housed in this new building.

The new complex has been conceptualised as a multi-storey green building, adopting Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) norms.

The need for a centralised office space for army had been felt for many years. There were eight locations where offices are being run. Now it can function under one roof. Presently, the Army Headquarters functioning is spread over several pockets like South Block, Sena Bhawan, hutments area, R K Puram and Shankar Vihar, it said. The office of the army chief is also located in the imposing South Block which is part of the historic Raisina Hill complex built during the colonial era as part of the “new imperial capital” of the British Raj.

At present, the South Block houses the prime minister’s office and ministries of defence and external affairs, while the North Block has offices of the home and finance ministries. The two blocks fall under a very high-security zone. The North Block and South Block, Viceroy’s House (now Rashtrapati Bhavan) and Parliament House, surrounded by a lush green landscape and imposing fountains, were built during the construction of New Delhi that started in 1912.

Both the blocks, which symbolise the government authority since their inception in Lutyens’ Delhi, are likely to be converted into a museum as part of the government’s Central Vista Redevelopment project, officials in the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry had said in January.

The housing ministry is the nodal agency for the ambitious redevelopment project of the Modi government.

The proposed work will generate minimum of 2 lakh hours of skilled and unskilled work. This will generate jobs for youth of the country.

The work for construction of Thal Sena Bhawan has been approved by the Government of India. Accordingly, work for Go Ahead Sanction for Preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR) and Enabling Works for Thal Sena Bhawan at Delhi Cantonment was approved in FY 2019-20.The work was sanctioned to make up the existing deficiency of 44 per cent and also to accommodate the Army HQ in one place.

“The proposed Thal Sena Bhawan will bring all Army HQ offices under one roof thereby improving the working efficiency, while reducing the carbon footprint and logistics requirements. It will also allow more family time for all soldiers tenanting peace posting at Delhi,” Army Chief Gen MM Naravane said.

The army chief and other important directors located in South Block will also have to vacate this building. Therefore, it is important to construct a new army headquarters for the Indian Army. Significantly, the Indian Army has been demanding a new building for many years so that different offices could be brought together in the city.

The prominent offices that will shift to the new complex include the Engineer-in-Chief’s office, Territorial Army, recruitment branch, some offices of Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff, Army Welfare Housing Organisation, medical branch, National Cadet Corps, Remount and Veterinary Corps and the Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme.

To be sure, the Sena Bhawan, which is located near South Block, and houses several key offices of the army, will continue to function from its current premises. The new complex will help decongest the crowded Sena Bhawan. The army chief and several other senior officers, who have their offices in the South Block, will continue to work from there until the defence ministry moves out to a new location under the Central Vista redevelopment plan. In that sense, the new complex isnot really the army’s headquarters.

However, both Army Chief and the Chief of Defence Staff are likely to be in the South Block till the time the iconic building houses the Ministry of Defence.

Currently, the Chiefs of the Army and Navy have their offices in the South Block, while the Air Force Chief sits in Vayu Bhawan that houses most of the IAF offices. In comparison, the offices under Army and Navy headquarters are scattered.

In 2015, then Defence Minister Arun Jaitley laid the foundation stone of Nau Sena Bhawan-1, at a site opposite to Sena Bhawan in central Delhi. But in the last four years, there is barely any progress on the project.

However, construction work is going on Nau Sena Bhawan-2, which is within the cantonment area and close to the proposed Army HQ, which is being called Thal Sena Bhawan. The NSB-2 is likely to be finished by 2021 providing an opportunity to the Navy to integrate at least some of its offices under one roof.

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