NEW DELHI: A parliamentary committee has endorsed the idea of an aerospace command for the military, which will give "a defense orientation to our successful space program". The air force is working on the concept of a separate command, which at some stage could be in charge of deploying long-range ballistic missiles.

"As stated by the ministry, it has become essential to establish an aerospace command and extend its frontiers to space," the all-party standing committee on defense said in its latest report on modernization of the air force. The Indian Air Force has given itself the next five years to study the concept of an aerospace command, but the committee wants the exercise "fast-tracked", the Times of India said Wednesday.

Though there has been little public debate on the need for an aerospace command, the IAF top brass, however, has hinted at it now and again. Former Air Chief S.K. Sareen mentioned it. And a couple of months ago, Air Chief Marshal A.Y. Tipnis talked about India's progression from an air power to a space power. But the IAF also apprehends that other services will claim at least a say in a command and control structure to fight a war that involves ballistic missiles like Pakistan's Ghouri and India's Agni II.

The IAF sees itself as central to India's space doctrine, being the "natural inheritor of the space medium", the committee noted. It said Air Headquarters was in the process of "conceptualizing the use of space and various doctrines for establishment of an aerospace command in the Tenth Plan".

The IAF told the committee that its work on the aerospace command during the ongoing phase would largely be exploratory, "the purpose being to generate possible options and concepts".

But the committee thinks the command is a more urgent need. "We are living in a world where the contours of the frontiers of conflict are changing fast, and there is greater interfacing between science and war technology." The committee doesn't elaborate on the yet-to-be-fleshed-out role of the command. It doesn't even directly mention missiles. But defense officials say an aerospace command could integrate elements like satellites for surveillance and communication, and systems to detect and intercept ballistic missiles like the Ghouri and deploy missiles like the Agni II. Both have a reach of around 2,000 kilometers.

Despite the committee's desire to see quick results, officials admit the aerospace command is not likely to come up in a hurry. The IAF has other priorities like replacing its depleting hardware, a point noted by the committee in the same report. And then there is the foreign policy dimension: a dedicated aerospace command could send wrong signals to the West that has criticized India and Pakistan for testing missiles.