Express News Service
NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force and Army will see new faces at the top rung assuming charge from Thursday. Apart from the other important appointments, the Indian Air Force (IAF) will get its new Vice Chief and the Indian Army will get its new Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy), a new vertical created last year as part of Army restructuring.
Air Marshal VR Chaudhari is taking over as the new Vice Chief of Air Staff (VCOAS) on Thursday, July 1 with the retirement of Air Marshal HS Arora. Air Marshal Chaudhari was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOCinC) of Western Air Command from 01 Aug 2020. He was commissioned into Fighter Stream of the IAF on 29 Dec 1982 as a fighter pilot and has served nearly 39 years. He has flown a wide variety of fighter and trainer aircraft with a flying experience of more than 3800 hrs.
Air Marshal BR Krishna who till now was the Director-General Air Operations of the IAF will be taking over as the new AOC in C Western Air Command on Thursday. Air Marshal PM Sinha will be replacing him as the new DG Air Operations.
Air Marshal Richard John Duckworth, who was the Air Officer in-charge Personnel of the Air Force will take charge as the AOC in C Central Air Command.
With Lt Gen Sanjeev Sharma assuming charge on Thursday Army will see a new face as the Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) which is seen to be important and specially created as part of the restructuring of the Indian Army Headquarters. The first DCOAS (Strategy) Lt Gen Paramjit Singh retired on Wednesday.
The post of DCOAS (Strategy) is a crucial appointment created last year as a third new vertical created to oversee Army’s operations, plans and logistics. The other two DCOAS are DCOAS (capability development and sustenance) and DCOAS (information systems & coordination)
Lt Gen SK Sharma, an alumnus of Rashtriya Military School, Bengaluru was commissioned into the Rajputana Rifles in December 1983 and was the DG of Military Intelligence prior to assuming this key appointment.
Lt Gen SP Goswamy will assume the charge of DG of Corps of Army Air Defence (AAD) as Lt Gen AP Singh retired on June 30.
