The PAF
PAF is a Vital Instrument of National Power
Yesteryear’s airpower has transformed into aerospace power and all major wars have established its increasingly decisive role as an independent strategic arm. Today, it is said that a country that holds control of the air cannot lose the war on the ground or conversely no nation can win a war without control of the air. The Gulf war is an epic example of airpower’s true virtues, where supremacy in the air shattered the resistance of a modern army on the ground and friendly forces marched in with ease to capture the ground.
Every nation has its own set of security dynamics or imperatives. However, the fundamental national security consideration common to all is the existence of the state as a sovereign entity. This not only means the protection of its borders, people, and infrastructure but to be sovereign in its geo-political alignments and decisions, economic and foreign policies, alliances, etc. Of the proven magnificence, airpower has today become a choice politico-military tool by governments because it gives both political policymakers and military strategists a great deal of depth and flexibility in setting strategic goals and national security objectives. Today airpower has been entrusted with greater and much wider responsibility for national security than at any other previous time — in peace, war, and hybrid/irregular war scenarios. Whereas there has been a decline in inter-state all-out wars, airpower application is still visible more towards peacetime deterrence, coercion, political signalling, and reprimand through clandestine aerial operations. Israel’s attack on the Iraqi nuclear facility in 1981, US air strikes in Libya against alleged terrorist centres in 1986, and the drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities in 2022, are a few of the many such examples.
Airpower is employed across a wide spectrum of operations. Squadron Leader S.A. Mackenzie of the RNZAF in his book “Strategic Airpower Doctrine for Small Air Forces” mentions 14 air and space-related roles and capabilities that an air force or coalition of air forces requires to undertake to exercise the full potential of air power. The US Air Force Doctrine Publication AFDP-1 of 2021 mentions three wholesome functions for its air force: Global Vigilance, Global Reach, and Global Power; a reflection of the prowess of the world’s leading air force. However, as an air force of a developing country, the PAF is required to focus its mastery on at least five core functions in pursuit of vital national security tasks. These include first and foremost the capability to deter aggression and avoid a war; second, to defend offensively and preferably intercept the enemy across the border; third, to gain ‘Control of Air’, which could be for a specific time and space; fourth, to strike with precision from stand-off ranges outside the intercept ranges of enemy fighters and SAMs, and lastly to remain prepared to undertake a ‘Strategic Strike’. It is important for countries like Pakistan facing a larger enemy to have an assured second-strike capability to deter and avert war.
PAF is the custodian of the aerial sovereignty of Pakistan and remains an important national security instrument both in peace and war. Whereas the wartime feats of the PAF against a numerically superior force are part of established history, its accomplishments in peacetime are no less impressive. Alongside the key contributions of many other institutions, deterrence generated by the PAF was one major factor behind the successful induction of nuclear capability, which today is the key guarantor of national security. It was the day-night combat patrols, liberal Rules of Engagements, and the unwavering resolve of the PAF to retaliate conveyed through strategic messaging that kept the enemy from undertaking something similar to ‘Operation Babylon’, the infamous Israeli strike on an Iraqi nuclear facility.
Additionally, the PAF’s role in counterinsurgency (COIN) operations against terrorists during Operation Zarb-e-Azb (2014) and Rad-ul-Fasaad (2017-18) was impressive by any standards. Not only that, the PAF received worldwide acknowledgement of its success but also received requests from friendly countries to study its model of COIN operations. Furthermore, during the February 2019 PAF operation against India, the PAF not only displayed professional mastery but also tactically conveyed the scope of its capabilities while avoiding escalation. It was crucial to display resolve that there would be consequences for interfering with Pakistan’s airspace and to preserve the PAF’s legacy and honour.
The PAF has always strived for qualitative superiority to balance out the enemy’s numerical superiority. The basis of qualitative superiority lies in innovative technology which is prohibitively expensive. The PAF recently inducted the advanced J-10C fighter aircraft, unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs), technology-rich multi-role radars, and long-range HIMAD missile systems. Alongside weapon acquisitions, the PAF has made good progress in the field of Cybertechnology, Artificial Intelligence, and space technology adhering to a vision to become a truly multidimensional aerospace power. Realizing the importance of a robust indigenous aerospace industrial base, the National Aerospace Science and Technology Park (NASTP) has been established “to foster research, innovation and development in aviation, space, IT and cyber technologies, products, and services.”
The PAF has learned to fight quantitatively larger foes and has seen a two-front scenario. The PAF is focused on exploring both conventional and unorthodox solutions to fulfil national security obligations. Prudence dictates that the PAF will pursue select force modernization goals vital to its relevance and the rest of the focus will be on bringing innovations in air strategy, employment concepts, operational tactics, and discovering out-of-the-box ideas.
