Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria to take over as IAF Chief
Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria will take over as the next Chief of Air Staff, the principal spokesperson of the Ministry of Defense said on Thursday. The Air Marshal currently serves as the Vice Chief of Air Staff and will take over as the Chief of Air Staff once Birender Singh Dhanoa retires on September 30. Here are more details.
Air Marshal Bhadauria was appointed Vice Chief in May
Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria, who had taken over as the Vice Chief of Air Staff on May 1 earlier this year, is an alumnus of the National Defense Academy. He completed his Masters in Defense Studies from Command and Staff College, Bangladesh. He was commissioned in the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on 15 June, 1980.
He was been awarded PVSM, AVSM, and VM
Bhadauria has been honored with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, and Vayu Sena Medal. He held many important appointments including Command of a Jaguar Squadron and a premier Air Force Station, Commanding Officer of Flight Test Squadron at Aircraft & System Testing Establishment, Chief Test Pilot and Project Director of National Flight Test Center on Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) project.
Government considered five officials for top post
According to The Print, the Narendra Modi government had opted for deep selection, i.e., the Chief would be picked on the basis of merit instead of seniority. The report stated that the government was considering five officers for the position of Chief of Air Staff. These included Air Marshal Suresh, Air Marshal Nambiar, Air Marshal HS Arora, and Air Marshal Rajesh Kumar.
