air power in the indian context concessions. While traditional threats have reduced, threats from nonstate actors have increased. From attrition oriented warfare, war waging concepts have rapidly moved towards Effects Based Operations, wherein functional paralysis is more desirable than the physical destruction of target systems. The Revolution in Military Affairs has transformed the role of technology and doctrines in fighting wars. The aim now is to isolate the enemy’s command and control structures, augment psychological warfare and precision strikes on the critical vulnerabilities deep inside enemy territory. These changes favour employment of air power more than any other form of military power. The importance of sequential advantage in warfare has been recognised and its relationship with force and space appreciated. As such, air power today applies parallel force at all levels of war. The strategic, operational and tactical levels themselves have been merged and are now more related to functionality than to location or type of targets. The networking of sensors, operators and decision makers has significantly reduced the sensor-to-shooter time period. This has also resulted in transforming linear warfare into non-linear warfare. The increased focus today is on knowledge and effect and to apply forces synergistically to achieve the desired outcome in the shortest period of time, with minimum casualties and collateral damage. AIR POWER AND JOINTNESS The IAF has always been cognizant of the fact that air power delivers best when used in synergy with the other components of military power. The conflicts and developments of the past three decades indicate a growing role for air forces. In fact, certain air campaigns conducted in the 1980s and 1990s led to the emergence of a school of thought that believed that wars could be won entirely by air forces. However, the IAF does not subscribe to this view since it is based on the experiences of air forces pitted against markedly inferior militaries with little or no air power capabilities. 11