New Delhi, October 31
The government today announced to appoint Air Marshal Shashindra Pal Tyagi, currently Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Western Air, Command (WAC) as the next Chief of Air Staff.
Air Marshal Tyagi will succeed Air Chief Marshal S. Krishnaswamy, who retires on December 31, this year.
Air Marshal A.K. Singh, who recently took over as the Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) at the WAC, is likely to succeed Air Marshal Tyagi as AOC-in-C.
Born on March 14, 1945, in Indore, Air Marshal Tyagi was commissioned in the IAF in 1963
as a fighter pilot. An alumnus of Jaipur’s Saint Xavier School, he has the distinction of having flown several types of fighter and transport aircraft.
During his service spanning over 40 years, he has held many important appointments including Commanding Officer of 14 Squadron (Jaguars) at Ambala, Instructor at the premier Tactics and Combat Development Establishment, Defence Attachi in Saudi Arabia, Air Officer Commanding Air Force Station Jamnagar, Director Operations (Air Defence) and Asst Chief of the Air Staff (Intelligence & Operations) at Air HQ.
He has actively participated in 1965 and 1971 wars. Air Marshal Tyagi, who was among the officers who received Flt-Lt K Nachiketa at the Wagah border on his return from a eight-day spell of Pakistani captivity during the Kagil conflict in 1999, has also served as the SASO and AOC-in-C of the Central Air Command.
He took over as WAC AOC-in-C on November 17, 2003, swapping places with Air Marshal A.R. Ghandhi, who moved to the Gandhinagar-based South Western Air Command as AOC-in-C.
Air Marshal Tyagi has also had a stint as senior fellow at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis and as Directing Staff and Senior Instructor at Defence Services Staff College at Wellington.
He was awarded Param Vishist Seva Medal in 2003 and Ati Vishist Seva Medal in 1994.
