On Wednesday (1st July), the senior military leadership underwent a reshuffle with top officers across the Indian Army and Air Force taking over key appointments in the Armed Forces.
Vice Chief of the Air Staff
Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit (PVSM AVSM VM VSM) took over as Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Indian Air Force, on 1st July 2026. The Air Marshal was commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF on 06 December 1986. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Staff Service College (Bangladesh) and National Defence College with more than 3500 hours of flying.
The Air Marshal has extensive flying experience on various aircraft; to name a few: Mirage-2000, variants of MiG, HPT-32, An-32, Avro, Kiran, Jaguar, IL-78, Hawk and Tejas. He is an Experimental Test Pilot and a Qualified Flying Instructor. During his service career, spanning approx four decades, he has been actively involved in numerous operations and exercises viz Op-Safed Sagar, Op-Rakshak, Cope-India and Operation Sindoor.
Before assuming charge as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, the Air Marshal served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Air Command, and thereafter as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) at Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS).
Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to Chairman
On Wednesday, Air Marshal Tejinder Singh took over as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC). Singh is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Service Staff College and National Defence College. Air Marshal Tejinder Singh was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on June 13, 1987.
Tejinder Singh served as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), South Western Air Command. His varied staff appointments include Operational Staff at a Command HQ, Air Commodore (Personnel Officers – 1) at Air Headquarters, Deputy Assistant Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, Financial (Planning) at HQ IDS, Air Commodore (Aerospace Safety), Assistant Chief of Air Staff Ops (Offensive), Assistant Chief of Air Staff Ops (Strategy) at Air Headquarters, Senior Air Staff Officer, Eastern Air Command, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff and AOC-in-C, Training Command.
Singh was awarded the Vayu Sena Medal in 2007, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2022 and Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2026.
Vice Chief of the Army Staff
Lieutenant General Sandeep Jain has been appointed as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS). Jain is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy; he was commissioned into the MAHAR Regiment in June 1988. He commanded an Infantry Battalion in semi-desert terrain as well as in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, an Infantry Brigade in a Strike Corps, a Counter Insurgency Force and a Pivot Corps in Northern Command.
Jain’s operational experience includes participation in Operation Pawan, service as a Military Observer with the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and multiple tenures in high-altitude areas and counter-insurgency operations along the Line of Control and in the North East. The General Officer also commanded a Sector in UN Mission in South Sudan.
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the South Western Command
Another major appointment includes Lt. General Mohit Malhotra taking over as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the South Western Command. He was commissioned into the 47 Armoured Regiment in June 1989. He has an experience of over thirty-seven years of distinguished service, spanning command, staff and instructional appointments at every significant level.
Lieutenant General Mohit Malhotra has been awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) and Sena Medal (SM) awards. Before taking over the South Western Command, he served as chief of staff at Headquarters Eastern Command, where he contributed to operational preparedness, organisational effectiveness and institutional cohesion.
According to a statement issued by PRO Defence Rajasthan, Lt Gen Malhotra has commanded in some of the Army’s most challenging operational environments, including the Siachen Glacier. His command assignments include an Armoured Regiment, an Independent Armoured Brigade, an Armoured Division and the Desert Corps, providing him with extensive experience in operational planning and the conduct of complex multi-domain operations across diverse theatres
Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Air Command
Air Marshal Jasvir Singh Mann, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vayu Sena Medal, assumed command of Southern Air Command as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief on 1st July. He was commissioned in the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on 16 December 1989. The Air Officer is a graduate of Defence Services Staff College, Higher Air Command and a Post Graduate from the ‘Royal College of Defence Studies’, London (UK). He is a Pilot Attack Instructor who has over 3000 Hr of flying experience on various aircraft like Apache, MiG-21, Jaguar, MiG-29, Su-30 and Rafale.
Prior to taking over this appointment, he was Senior Air Staff Officer at Western Air Command. In his career spanning nearly four decades, the Air Marshal has commanded a Fighter Squadron and served as Air Officer Commanding of a premium fighter base. He has held important command and staff appointments, which include Air Defence Commander and Senior Officer in charge of the Administration of a Command.
Air Marshal Jasvir Singh Mann succeeds Air Marshal Manish Khanna, who superannuated on June 30.
Air Officer Commanding-in Chief of South Western Air Command
Air Marshal PV Shivanand AVSM VM was appointed as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, South Western Air Command on 1st July 2026. He was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force in December 1988. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment and Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. The Air Marshal has a cumulative flying experience of over 2800 hours on MiG-21 and the IL-76 AWACS.
Shivanand was previously the Senior Air Staff Officer at HQ Central Air Command. He has spearheaded the operationalisation of key platforms and several Air Defence initiatives, significantly enhancing surveillance capabilities and an integrated Air Defence architecture. His predecessor at SWAC was Air Marshal Tejinder Singh, who took over as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee.
