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Saturday, June 22, 2013
PAF ever ready against internal, external security threats: air chiefISLAMABAD: Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt on Friday said that the PAF as an integral part of the security apparatus, and as the first line of physical defence, is expected to continue peacetime training while ensuring optimum operational preparedness against internal and external threats.
Addressing the student officers of Naval War Course at Pakistan Naval War College in Lahore, the air chief unfolded his vision on the development and modernisation of Pakistan Air Force to meet the ever-demanding challenges of the 21st century.
He said, “Foreseeing the challenges posed to Pakistan and particularly to the PAF, my vision is to prepare a force competent to face present and future challenges with full capacity to absorb future technologies. It should be a force with a human resource that is experienced and empowered to handle modern day warfare across the entire spectrum.”
The air chief said that the effectiveness of an air force was as good as the quality and performance of its personnel. “We have, therefore, always trained hard and would continue to do so for achieving optimum performance to maintain our edge through professional excellence,” he added.
He said, “In spite of our extensive commitments, both in combat and non-combat operations, we continue to participate in a number of exercises inland and abroad, with an aim to gain confidence on our new systems and benefit from experience of modern forces and practising modern employment concepts.”
While emphasising the jointness as a key to success the air chief said that modern wars were fought jointly. “Our emphasis has remained on achieving synergy of effort among the three services.” He said that joint exercises such as ‘Azm-e-Nau’, ‘Al-Mizan’, ‘Sea Spark’, ‘Sea Spark Aman’ and ‘Shamsheer-e-Behr’, and closer coordination with Pak Army, especially in “our current operations, are testimony to this cooperation”. Earlier on arrival, the air chief was received by Rear Admiral Kaleem Shaukat, the commandant of the Naval War College, Lahore. app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk