&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘War ending has shifted to Iranians’: Former IAF Chief RKS Bhadauria on lessons from West Asia conflict at WION World Pulse")
Controlling escalation is one of the most critical aspects of military planning and execution, Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria, India's former Chief of the Air Staff, said on Wednesday (Mar 18) at WION World Pulse summit. “Part of our overall planning, strategy, and execution involved one of the most critical aspects: controlling escalation. For this, the essentials are clear-cut objectives, and the response itself must be carefully calibrated,” he said, drawing lessons from India's Operation Sindoor. Bhadauria emphasised that clear objectives and calibrated responses are essential not only for achieving tactical goals but also for shaping strategic outcomes.
Highlighting the West Asia conflict, he noted how escalation can trap even the most powerful militaries.
“If you look at the global level, the US and Israel, after the first week of operations, have continued to attack, and now it’s a kind of escalation trap. They wanted regime change as one of the objectives. That hasn’t happened, although there has been large-scale decapitation of leadership. In spite of that, they are in their own trap. It is very difficult for them to finish."
The war-ending decision, said the former Indian Air Force Chief, has actually shifted to the Iranians, ‘who are able to extend the conflict using low-cost drones and ballistic missiles every day.’
Multi-domain operations and low-cost warfare
Bhadauria stressed that modern conflicts are inherently multi-domain, involving air, sea, cyber, and space capabilities. He pointed out that controlling critical points such as the Strait of Hormuz demonstrates the complexities of sustained conflict. “Control is currently with the Iranians. Regaining it would require massive effort from US and Israeli forces. You see the limitations, the complications, and how credibility can be impacted.”
He also highlighted the strategic impact of low-cost, high-effect systems, “You have to now presume that every war can be extended. When you have low-cost options like loitering, nations, drones, fair amount of autonomous vehicles, which can be a very low-cost option, countries can extend the wars, and therefore you need to be aware of your capability and how long can you sustain the war.”
According to Bhadauria, careful calibration of objectives and recognising the limitations of one’s capabilities are essential lessons for militaries worldwide.
Strategic takeaways from West Asia conflict
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Bhadauria’s analysis underlined that the duration and control of modern conflicts increasingly depend on technology, multi-domain coordination, and clearly defined objectives. Lessons from Operation Sindoor, as well as ongoing West Asian conflicts involving the US, Israel, and Iran, demonstrate that escalation management is not only a tactical concern but a strategic imperative in contemporary warfare.
WION World Pulse brought together a cross-section of policymakers, diplomats and industry leaders at a time of heightened global uncertainty. The global thought leadership forum came at a time when globally the lines between geopolitics, economics and technology are increasingly blurred.
The dynamic event began with a keynote address by Dr Subhash Chandra, Founder and Mentor of Zee Group and Former Rajya Sabha member. Addressing the diverse audience, Dr Chandra noted that "we are in an era of information overload" and in times like these, “diplomacy needs credible global platforms like WION”.
