India's top military leadership gets a major overhaul. Here are all the new faces

A major reshuffle in the leadership of India's armed forces came into effect on July 1, with the Army and the Indian Air Force seeing appointments to several key operational and strategic positions. The changes at the top include a new Vice Chief of the Army Staff, Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC), two Army Commanders and two Air Commanders.

New Vice Chief of the Army Staff

Lieutenant General Sandeep Jain assumed charge as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS).

Commissioned into the MAHAR Regiment in June 1988, Lt Gen Jain has nearly four decades of operational experience. During his career, he has commanded an Infantry Battalion, an Infantry Brigade, a Counter Insurgency Force, a Pivot Corps and a Corps in Northern Command. He has also served in United Nations missions in South Sudan and Ethiopia and has extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations, high-altitude deployments and force preparedness. 

He is a recipient of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Sena Medal.

New Vice Chief of the Air Staff

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit took over as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, succeeding Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor, who retired after four decades of service.

An alumnus of National Defence Academy, Defence Staff Service College (Bangladesh) and National Defence College, Air Marshal Dixit was commissioned into the fighter stream in December 1986.

Air Marshal Dixit is an Experimental Test Pilot and Qualified Flying Instructor with more than 3,500 flying hours on various aircraft, including the Mirage-2000, Jaguar, MiG variants, Hawk and Tejas. During his career, he participated in Operations Safed Sagar, Rakshak and Sindoor, besides holding several senior operational and planning appointments. Before assuming the new role, he served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command and later as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, where he worked on enhancing jointness and integration among the three services. 

He has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal and Vayu Sena Medal.

Air Marshal Tejinder Singh takes over as CISC

Air Marshal Tejinder Singh assumed charge as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC).

A fighter pilot commissioned in 1987, he is a Category 'A' Qualified Flying Instructor with over 4,500 flying hours. During his career, he has commanded a Fighter Squadron, a Radar Station, a premier Fighter Base and served as Air Officer Commanding, Jammu and Kashmir. Prior to the new appointment, he was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of South Western Air Command. 

He is a recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vayu Sena Medal.

New Heads of Two Army Commands

Lieutenant General Rajesh Pushkar assumed command of the Southern Command, succeeding Lt Gen Sandeep Jain.

Commissioned into the 74 Armoured Regiment in 1988, Lt Gen Pushkar has served in various command, staff and instructional appointments. He commanded an Armoured Regiment, an Independent Armoured Brigade, an Infantry Division and a Strike Corps, and provided leadership to 2 Corps during Operation Sindoor. He has also served as Defence and Military Attaché in Moscow and as part of the Indian Military Training Team in Bhutan. Upon assuming charge, he reaffirmed Southern Command's commitment to operational readiness, greater jointness, indigenous capability development and rapid technology integration.

Lieutenant General Mohit Malhotra took over as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the South Western Command.

Commissioned into the 47 Armoured Regiment in 1989, Lt Gen Malhotra previously served as Chief of Staff, Headquarters Eastern Command. His command experience includes the Siachen Glacier, an Armoured Regiment, an Independent Armoured Brigade, an Armoured Division and the Desert Corps. He is a scholar-soldier with multiple master's and M.Phil. degrees and is a graduate of prestigious military institutions in India and the United Kingdom. He has been awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Sena Medal.

New Air Commanders

Air Marshal P.V. Shivanand assumed charge as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of South Western Air Command, succeeding Air Marshal Tejinder Singh.

Commissioned into the fighter stream in 1988, Air Marshal Shivanand has over 2,800 flying hours on the MiG-21 and IL-76 AWACS. During his career, he served as Defence and Air Attaché at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC, commanded two frontline fighter squadrons and a premier airbase, and held several appointments in air operations, air defence and airborne sensors. He was previously Senior Air Staff Officer at Central Air Command.

Air Marshal Jasvir Singh Mann took over as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Air Command, succeeding Air Marshal Manish Khanna.

Commissioned into the fighter stream in 1989, Air Marshal Mann has more than 3,000 flying hours on aircraft, including the Apache, MiG-21, Jaguar, MiG-29, Su-30 and Rafale. A Pilot Attack Instructor, he has commanded a fighter squadron and a premier fighter base and held appointments including Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Operations-Offensive), Director General (Weapon Systems) and Senior Air Staff Officer at Western Air Command before taking over the new command. He is a recipient of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vayu Sena Medal.