Pariksha SaathiAir Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia, AOC-in-C Eastern Air Command, appointed Vice Chief of the Air Staff from 1 November 2026
Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia, AVSM VM, has been appointed Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) from 1 November 2026, the Ministry of Defence said on 30 October 2026; he is presently the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Air Command. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, he was commissioned in the Fighter stream of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and is qualified on all variants of the MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-27, Jaguar and Su-30 MKI. In a career spanning almost four decades he has held various command and staff appointments: he has commanded a frontline fighter squadron and the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE), and was Air Officer Commanding of Air Force Station Bareilly. He has undergone the Advanced Command & Staff Course in the UK and the National Defence College (NDC) in Bangladesh, has headed the IAF's Directorate of Air Staff Inspection (DASI), served as the Defence Attache for Japan and South Korea, and was the Senior Air Staff Officer of Eastern Air Command. He holds three post-graduate degrees in Defence and Strategic Studies, and was awarded the Vayu Sena Medal (VM) in 2008 and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) in 2018. He takes over from Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia assumed the appointment of Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command, on 1 February 2026, succeeding Air Marshal Surat Singh, who superannuated on 31 January 2026 after 39 years of service; before that he was Senior Air Staff Officer at HQ Eastern Air Command. The Ministry of Defence's release on his taking over described him as a Fighter Strike Leader and an Instrument Rating Instructor & Examiner (IRIE) with over 3200 hours of accident/incident-free flying, who had commanded a MiG-27 Squadron and TACDE and had held the appointments of Air Commodore, Directorate of Air Staff Inspection (DASI), Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Training) at Air HQ and Air Defence Commander, HQ WAC.
Check yourself: when did Air Marshal Walia take over as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command, and whom did he succeed?
On 1 February 2026; Air Marshal Surat Singh.
Revision task: from this release, note the new appointment and the date it takes effect, his present post, the aircraft he is qualified on, the establishment and station he commanded, the courses he has undergone, his medals with their years and whom he takes over from; from the note, when he took over Eastern Air Command, whom he succeeded and his flying hours.
Test yourself
Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia has been appointed Vice Chief of the Air Staff from 1 November 2026. Of which IAF command was he the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief when the appointment was announced?
Show the answer
Answer: Eastern Air Command
Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia, AVSM VM, appointed Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) from 1 November 2026, is presently the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Air Command, where he earlier served as Senior Air Staff Officer. He takes over from Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit.
Read the daily collection → · Editorial standards & corrections