The Air Marshal reviewed a ceremonial Guard of Honour and thereafter outlined his vision for the Western Air Command in consonance with the objectives of the IAF and the nation at large.
The Air Marshal is a highly decorated officer having been awarded the Presidential awards of Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2019, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2005 and Vayu Sena Medal in 2001. He was appointed as the Aide de Camp to the Hon’ble President of India on 01 Feb 2019. The Air Marshal has donned a military uniform for 47 years; having joined the Rashtriya Indian Military College, Dehradun in 1972. An alumnus of the NDA, he was commissioned as a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force on 13 December 1980. He is a ‘Sword of Honour’ awardee from the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment, a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and a post-graduate from Cranfield University, Shrivenham, United Kingdom. He is a highly experienced fighter pilot and has flown almost all fighter aircraft and helicopters of the IAF. He takes charge of this crucial Air Command at a very critical time. He brings a wealth of operational experience to the table in his new assignment.
He is a ‘Jam Sataji Sword of Honour’ awardee from the prestigious ‘Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment’ (TACDE) – IAF’s premier institution that develops comprehensive offensive/defensive combat tactics to be adopted by all components of airpower in war. He has done three tenures at TACDE with the last being as the Commandant of the Establishment during which time, the ‘Beyond Visual Range’ Air-to-Air Missile tactics were developed.
He is widely acclaimed as a strategist and tactician of repute within Air Force circles and as the Exercise Director, he is credited with having been the mastermind behind IAF’s superlative performance during Exercise Cope India 2004 – the first international bilateral exercise with the United States Air Force held after a gap of nearly 40 years.
