IAF is seen extensively in carrying out HADR (Humanitarian Assistance in Disaster Relief) missions, within and outside the country, which not only gets praised for its highly professional work but also reinforces the importance of its operational capabilities. IAF’s arm of advanced Transport aircraft like C-17, C-130 and its Helicopter fleet of Chinooks and Mi-17 V5, have been discharging its strategic and tactical HADR roles respectively in a commendable manner. Even while this article is being written, the IAF is busy providing HADR support in Myanmar & Thailand post the recent deadly earthquake. However, the primary role of IAF, being the security of India’s airspace, has to be mainly ensured through an effective fleet of advanced fighter aircraft.  With its depleting fighter squadrons, unstable neighbourhood, unpredictable world order and induction of 5^th generation Chinese J-20 and J-35 stealth fighter aircraft on its northern borders, the alarm bells have started ringing towards India’s national & regional aerospace security.    

To handle a two-front war, IAF is sanctioned a strength of 42 squadrons of fighter aircraft fleet; however, due to the phasing out of an aging fleet of MiG-21, MiG-23 & MiG-27, delayed procurement and delayed indigenisation, the fleet strength has depleted to just around 30 squadrons. The depletion in the fighter squadron strength is quite alarming for two reasons. Firstly, acquisitions take a long time due to availability, cost concerns, and indecision both at the service HQ/ MoD and secondly, the fast upgradation of advanced fighters in our northern and western neighbourhood.

Lost decades for IAF ….The aging Mig-21 fleet, being the largest component of IAF’s fighter fleet and the vintage Jaguar/Mig-29 fleet were planned to be replaced with a mix of LCA, MMRCA and MRFA programme of local production as well as foreign acquisitions. MMRCA (Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft) programme of acquiring 126 aircraft dragged on for years and finally it was cancelled in 2014, post acquisition of 36 Rafale aircraft (2 Squadrons) from France.  The emergency acquisition of 02 squadrons should have been followed up with faster decision making in acquiring more Rafale squadrons through direct purchase or local production, but it never happened. Orders with HAL for the supply of LCA MK1 & MK2 have been extremely slow and way behind schedule, thereby complicating matters further.

HAL’s LCA programme…This project was conceived and started in 1983 to meet the future requirements of the IAF & Indian Navy’s fighter aircraft. It’s a project designed by DRDO’s ADA (Aeronautical Development Agency) and manufactured by HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited).   LCA made its first flight in 2001 and entered into service in 2015. In due course, IAF ordered 40 LCA MK1 and 83 MK1A but both supplies have been extremely behind schedule. HAL has delivered 2 Squadrons of LCA MK1 but MK1A has been extremely delayed, primarily due to the USA’s GE company not supplying the contracted number of Engines in the last more than two years. GE has just begun supplying engines with its 1st delivery recently, which gives some hope of the start of LCA MK 1A aircraft to IAF in the near future however, dependency on foreign collaborators for the engines would continue to be a big limiting factor till India attains self-sufficiency in this sector too.  

Fighters on offer for the IAF …..India’s fighter procurement strategy could be a mix of indigenous capabilities and foreign collaborations. IAF is quite familiar with the major fighter aircraft producing companies of the world since its previous evaluation experience for the MMRCA project. Rafale, Grippen, Eurofighter, apart from Russian MIG & Sukhoi, have been delt by IAF in the past. As per the news reports, the front runners appear to be French Rafale, American F-35 and Russian SU-57, the last two even participated in the just concluded Aero-India show at Bengaluru.   A look at the techno-economic-strategic aspect of the three may help us in the better understanding of its selection for the IAF.

Rafale F4, a 4.5th gen fighter, with its earlier variant of two squadrons already in service in the IAF, becomes an automatic choice as part of India’s quest for its MRFA. It’s known for its agility and maneuverability with large payloads. It is considered more cost-effective with lower operating and maintenance costs in comparison to the F-35. Rafale offers full sovereign control over its operational parameters in comparison to F-35; however, how far the French govt willing to transfer its technology for the Make-in-India initiative needs more clarity.  Also, with Chinese 5^th gen fighters already in India’s neighbourhood, is the IAF and the govt of India willing to go in for a 4.5^th gen Rafale variant or stick to the existing Rafale, which will be in service for the next 3-4 decades.

F-35, a 5^th gen multi-role, offensive strike fighter, is a single-seat, single-engine (Prat & Whitney F135-PW-100 afterburning turbofan), stealth fighter aircraft with three variants. It can achieve a max speed of Mach 1.6 with a range of approx. 2200 kms. It’s equipped with advanced sensors, including an AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar and AI-driven combat systems. It has seamless data sharing capabilities.  F-35A, a conventional take-off and landing for the Air Force, F-35B, short field take-off and vertical landing for the Marine Corps and F-35C for the Navy.  As of this date, the US manufacturer Lockheed Martin has already delivered more than 1000 F-35s worldwide, including USAF. F-35 has the advantage of a large global supply chain and extensive NATO interoperability. F-35s have proven their operational capabilities in the ongoing conflict in the Middle-East however, what may be of concern to India may be its exorbitant cost (approx. 80-110 million US $), tech transfer for its local production and American reliability in times of crisis due to complex software integration and strict U.S export control regulations.

Su-57, a reported 5^th gen twin-engine (Saturn AL41F1 afterburning turbofan), Russian defensive, air superiority, partial stealth fighter because of reduced radar signature. It can attain a max speed of Mach 2 with approx. max range of 3000 km. It’s highly maneuverable due to its twin engines & thrust-vectoring engines. It is also equipped with a multi-band radar suite, including L-band for stealth detection. SU-57 is expected to be cost-effective (35-40 million US$) in comparison to the F-35s. The most favourable aspect for India could be Russian reliability in crisis, operational familiarity and economical cost with no operational limitations.   

The different scenarios to address the shortages could be a mix of indigenous developments and international partnerships. The roadmap could be as follows-

Scenario a. 114 Rafale aircraft from France as part of the proposed MRFA (Multi Role Fighter Aircraft) programme, along with indigenous development of AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft). The Rafale, a 4.5 generation fighter already with the IAF, offers proven multi-role capabilities with nuclear deterrence.  This could be the most preferred path due to IAF’s familiarity in terms of tech, logistics and training. The purchase of these many Rafales would amount to about 5 squadrons, which would take care of the immediate shortfall in squadron strength. The purchase cost of these many Rafales could be an issue but with such large orders, India would be in a commanding position to leverage its strategic partnership with France, at the same time making a huge business sense to the French government. Additionally, India can continue with its indigenous stealth, 5th generation AMCA development programme. India’s DRDO (Defence Research & Development Organisation), responsible for the development of AMCA, must fast-track this development by a judicious mix of Indian Public/Private companies as well as foreign friendly collaborations. This approach would be a time-tested one, considering French reliability at the same time, avoiding American unreliability at the time of crisis and fostering the development of indigenous advanced fighter capabilities.

Scenario b. Keeping in sync with the enhanced Indo-USA strategic partnership, India could go in for its immediate MRFA need with US F-15EX, a 4.5 generation heavy fighter with advanced avionics, large payload and long-range strike potential, at the same time continue with accelerated AMCA development for the 5^th gen fighter programme. This scenario balances India’s immediate fighter shortages along with its interoperability with QUAD partners like the USA, Japan & Australia.

Scenario c. This could be a Russian option which is time-tested but, of late witnessed inconsistent delivery schedules and cost overruns. India could meet its MRFA requirement through Russian Su-35 or MiG-35, along with a few squadrons of Su-57, a reported 5^th gen fighter. This option may ensure affordability, familiarity and timely delivery, but with concerns of US sanctions.

A combination of the above measures is likely to ensure the following: a. Immediate induction of at least 02 squadrons of existing Rafale fighters.  b.   Commencement of MRFA class fighters by 2027-28 to ensure the raising of 5-6 squadrons by 2032.  c. Freeze LCA Mk2 design in 2025 to start production by 2028-29 to have 06 squadrons by 2035 as a replacement for Jaguars/MiG-29. d. Priorities AMCA development to have 1^st flight in 2028-29 and serial production by  2032-33. e. Secure foreign collaborations for engines & stealth tech at the earliest. f. Aim to start production of AMCA by 2035 to have approximately. 5 squadrons by 2040. g. In the interim, upgrade the entire fleet of Su-30 MkI with AESA radar, EW suites & Astra MK2 missiles. h. Strengthen Force Multipliers like combat drones, AEWs, AWACs & Refuellers.   

Recommendations- In order to arrest and augment the falling fighter strength of IAF by putting in place a few institutional mechanisms in place, the following measures need to be taken at the earliest.

1. Decision making at the PMO level to avoid further bureaucratic delays in facilitating early delivery of MRFA and AMCA class of fighters to IAF. PMO also needs to look at the inability of GTRE to produce the required engines for our fighter development programme and fix it without any further delay. Restore the HAL leadership to a senior IAF aviator to bring synergy and urgency among different arms of HAL, as is the case with Naval officers heading Shipyards.
2. Speed and efficiency in production/procurement- scale up HAL production of LCA MK1 & MK2 and go in for G2G for MRFA & FGFA programme.
3. Private Sector Investment- Encourage HAL/TATA/L&T/Adani/ Godrej/Kirloskar to tie-up with India’s strategic partner firms like Dassault/ GE/BAE, etc, to expedite MRFA & FGFA programmes. Private sector involvement in developing cutting-edge aerospace tech like stealth and engines is the crying need of the hour.
4. Minimise Fighter Diversity- This would help in the easy supply/ maintenance & training requirements, thereby facilitating better serviceability status of the fighter fleet.
5. Freezing of Design Specifications- IAF to freeze LCA MK2 & AMCA design specifications at the earliest so as to facilitate its early prototype delivery.
6. Adequate Budgetary Support- MoD must ensure timely enhanced capital layout for the MRFA & AMCA acquisition programme.

Conclusion….As discussed above, various options appear to be available on the table; however, what is of prime importance is an immediate intervention at the PMO level in selecting 114 MRFA, either French, Russian, American or European, to arrest & augment the grave slide in the total number of effective Fighter squadrons. Secondly, accelerated delivery of LCA (Tejas) MK1 & MK2 to IAF by overcoming roadblocks like engine & production scaling up. Thirdly, accelerated development of AMCA with a suitable engine and stealth tech needs to be tied up immediately with domestic as well as foreign collaborators to meet IAF’s 5^th gen fighter requirement, latest by 2035. This has also attained urgency given the Chinese J-20 & J-35 challenge in its immediate neighbourhood, as well as to establish India as an indigenous Aerospace power shortly. One school of thought may suggest going in for foreign fighters, both for MRFA and 5^th gen in place of AMCA, considering the past poor track record of indigenous fighter development programme however, that won’t be in the long-term interest of the country because the nation’s security can only be ensured with indigenous capabilities. In no case should IAF and the MoD repeat their mistake of 60s when it abandoned its indigenous HF Marut fighter development programme and went in for foreign aircraft, thereby missing the indigenous development of fighters completely.  IAF leadership need to be clear in putting up their case to MoD wrt MRFA & FGFA (AMCA) and pursue them relentlessly irrespective of the change in guard over time. Lastly, our top Politico-Beaurocratic leadership needs to keep in mind that no price can be too high for the insurance of our national security …. Jai Hind.  

India may soon consider joining another key multilateral alliance focused on the South China Sea, alongside the Quad. The emerging group, dubbed the "Squad," currently includes Japan, Australia, the US, and the Philippines, with plans to invite India and South Korea.

Philippines' Armed Forces chief, General Romeo S. Brawner, highlighted the move at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, citing the need to counter China's growing military assertiveness in the region. While the Squad remains informal, its members have engaged in joint maritime activities for over a year, emphasizing military cooperation, intelligence sharing, and joint exercises.

Speaking alongside senior military officials from Japan, the US, Australia, and India, General Brawner underlined the Philippines' commitment to strengthening deterrence measures. He stressed shared concerns with India over China's aggressive stance, noting, "We have a common enemy... China is our common enemy. It is important that we collaborate, maybe exchange intelligence."

China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, disregarding international rulings and infringing upon the sovereignty of regional nations, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei, and Vietnam. The waterway is crucial for global trade, with an annual flow exceeding $3 trillion.

The General emphasized that the Philippines already shares military and defense ties with India. He intended to formally extend an invitation to India during his meeting with India's Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan. However, after the meeting, a senior Indian defense official told Reuters that there was no confirmation on whether the matter was discussed.

India’s potential entry into the Squad would mark a significant step in expanding regional security partnerships, complementing its role in the Quad and reinforcing its commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.

India and New Zealand signed a landmark agreement on Monday to institutionalize their defence and security cooperation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his New Zealand counterpart, Christopher Luxon, held extensive discussions on trade, defence, education, and agriculture.

Modi announced that both nations would develop a roadmap to enhance collaboration in the defence industry sector. He emphasized a shared commitment to combating terrorism, referencing the Christchurch attack of 2019 and the Mumbai attacks of 2008. "Terrorism in any form is unacceptable. Strict action is necessary against those responsible," Modi said.

India also raised concerns over certain unlawful elements in New Zealand engaging in anti-India activities. Modi expressed confidence in New Zealand’s continued cooperation in addressing such threats.

On trade, both countries agreed to initiate negotiations for a mutually beneficial free trade agreement. Modi highlighted opportunities for increased trade and investment, particularly in dairy, food processing, and pharmaceuticals.

The leaders also underscored their commitment to a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific. Modi reiterated India's stance on development over expansionism, while Luxon reaffirmed New Zealand’s dedication to addressing strategic challenges in the region.

The talks reflected growing bilateral ties and a shared vision for regional stability.

India’s jet engine development programme has been a long and challenging one with limited success till date. It’s a story of perseverance and determination. India’s jet engine development paradox revolves around India’s strong Aerospace ambition, clashing with challenges of creating state-of-the-art technology in a field that demands both expertise, innovation, research and immense resources. India, despite its push for self-reliance in critical technologies, including cryogenic rocket engines, has not been able to develop a jet engine for its fighter aircraft. There has been a long struggle to develop an indigenous jet engine despite having a significant aerospace industry, a large pool of skilled manpower and huge domestic demand.  Today, India has relied heavily on imported engines notably from Russia, the USA and the UK.

India made its first attempt in the 1960s but a serious programme was launched only in the year 1989 with GTRE GTX-35VS, the Kaveri engine development programme. Subsequently, in 1990, India collaborated with Russia to develop the Sukhoi/HAL FGFA engine, however, the project got cancelled later. In 2010, the AMCA programme was launched for the indigenous 5th generation combat aircraft with the indigenous engine. To meet the immediate requirement of engines for the LCA project as well as to bridge the technological gap, India has signed collaborative agreements with the U.S. firm, General Electric and the French firm, Safran. Recently, India made significant progress in the engine development with the Kaveri engine being cleared for the in-flight testing for the unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), like Ghatak developed by ADA, ADE, GTRE, all DRDO establishments. The successful development of the Kaveri engine could pave the way for future integration into more advanced fighter aircraft.

The science of Jet Propulsion is a highly complex and demanding technology presently mastered by only the four countries of the world, notably USA, Russia, France & UK. The fighter jet engine, being the most complex engineering, is the heart of an aircraft requiring great thrust, agility and combat performance. It calls for great knowledge and expertise of aerodynamics, thermodynamics and material science. Concept simulations, wind tunnel tastings are used to validate initial design specifications. Advanced materials like titanium alloy, single crystal super alloys and ceramics developed to withstand extreme severe performance characteristics with temperatures almost close to 2000 degrees centigrade. Each major component of the engine, such as the compressor, turbine, nozzle and combustion chamber, is meticulously designed and tested. Once the initial development of the desired engine is achieved as per design specifications, a prototype engine is developed. Prototype undergoes rigorous ground and flight testings for its performance, reliability and safety. It's subjected to extreme conditions of altitude, temperature and combat conditions.

There are several compelling reasons for India’s Jet engine paradox. Complexity – the development of a Jet engine is a highly complex task, requiring significant knowledge, expertise, time and resources.  Lack of Infrastructure-   The Indian aerospace industry has lacked the required infrastructure for design, testing, metallurgy for a successful jet engine. Leadership- for some reason, the desired leadership for an effective and result-oriented focus towards jet engine development was lacking since the beginning. Brain drain- since independence, a large number of bright scientific minds have been migrating to the US and European countries for greener pastures, thereby depriving the local talent pool required for such high-tech development. Funding- Jet engine development is a capital-intensive industry, which, for whatever reasons, was not appreciated by the Indian decision makers in the past.  

Recent Developments on India’s Jet Engine front have been both indigenous as well as with friendly countries. Despite the daunting nature of the task in hand, the Indigenous initiatives are as follows: Kaveri Engine- an initiative of the Bengaluru-based DRDO concern, Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) has been under development since late 80s. It has encountered numerous problems over all these years, however, recently it has tasted a significant success wherein it has been cleared for the air test in a facility in Russia. This engine is initially planned to be utilized for the indigenous UCAV before its further improvements to be used in India’s AMCA programme.

HTFE-25 engine- This is a 25 KN turbofan engine under development by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). This engine is intended to be used in single engine trainer jets, business jets and UAVs. Two engines have been produced is presently undergoing trials and further improvements.

Private Indian Firms actively participating in the field of jet engine development are not many. The primary private firm actively participating in the jet engine development is DG Propulsion, which has designed and built jet engines like J20, J40, J60 for the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Other Indian defence sector companies like Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Mahindra Aerospace companies are yet to establish themselves in the Jet engine sector.

Indo- American Collaboration GE F414 engine- During Prime Minister Modi’s last state visit to USA, India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) entered into $ 716 million deal with USA’s General Electric (GE) for the transfer of technology for the manufacture of 99 GE F414 engines for its indigenous fighter aircraft LCA Tejas MK-ll. This engine is a turbofan engine used by the US Navy for over 30 years. It’s equipped with a dual–channel full authority digital engine control (FADEC), a six-stage high pressure turbine and a fuel hydraulic system for nozzle area control. It offers exceptional throttle response, excellent afterburner light and stability and unrestricted engine performance. F414 engine holds great significance for India’s LCA Tejas MK-ll programme as it’s a strategic decision to overcome the present major gap in India’s indigenous fighter aircraft development programme bogged down by the non-availability of a suitable local jet engine. Once the local production of F414 engines starts in the country, it may be utilized for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). This agreement is a significant component of the iCET agreement with the USA. However, this deal has got delayed and has run into rough weather with cost overruns during the deep technical discussions between the negotiating members of HAL and GE representatives.  

Indo-France Aero Engine Co-Development is another significant initiative by the Indian government. Under this programme, the French engine major company Safran will collaborate with DRDO to develop a new engine for India’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). This collaboration aims to bring the expertise of both countries to a state-of-the-art that meets the future requirements of the Indian Air Force. This programme is different in the sense that it involves transfer of technology including design, development, certification and production. This engine is expected to be a significant improvement over existing engines with advanced features and capabilities that will give the IAF a significant edge in combat operations. The cooperation extends to various aspects of defence technology, including the joint development of combat aircraft engines and industrial cooperation for heavy lift helicopters under the Indian Multi Role Helicopters (IMRH) programme. This collaboration has the potential not only to meet the immediate requirement of AMCA programme but also to greatly help India’s engine indigenisation programme, thereby revolutionising the Indian Aerospace industry.

Indo-Russian Collaboration has a long history in the overall defence package of India, however, there have been few significant collaborations in the joint development of jet engines. Both countries are currently collaborating on the joint production of Sukhoi fighter jet engine, the AL-31FP engine. This partnership aims to increase India’s self-reliance in defence technology by locally producing these engines rather than solely importing from Russia. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has recently signed an agreement with IAF for the supply of 240 engines for Sukhoi 30 MKI aircraft. This collaboration would also pave the way for future upgrades to the SU-30 MKI fleet with newer engines. Russia has also offered its advanced   ODK Kalimov-110 KN engines for India’s 5th generation fighter programme. These engines are known for increased reliability, versatility and efficiency. This Russian offer is to keep Americans away from India’s future fighter aircraft development programme. 

Indo-UK Collaboration in defence hasn’t been as extensive as Indo-American or Indo-Russian, but they too are a significant player, especially in the advanced military jet engines. Recently, during the second India-UK 2+2 Foreign and Defence dialogue in New Delhi, the UK expressed strong support for Rolls Royce’s proposal to associate with India’s AMCA fighter aircraft programme.

India, post-independence, remained a marginal Defence and Aerospace manufacturing country due to various reasons including highly questionable policy of not developing major indigenous defence industries. India remained heavily dependent on foreign vendors for almost all its major defence equipment, including aerospace, so much so that it achieved the ignominious tag of the world’s largest importer of defence hardware. However, in the last decade, India under its Make in India, “Atmanirbhar Bharat” programme has given tremendous policy and resources boost to the indigenous defence manufacturing industry. The kind of success the Indian Space industry has achieved, the same unfortunately, has not been replicated in the Aerospace industry, especially in the Jet engine manufacture.  However, with the current focus of the government, both through domestic industries as well as smart foreign gov to gov (G to G) collaborations with the top foreign jet engine manufacturers, it’s hoped that India would be able to bridge the gap in its aerospace industry. These initiatives are likely to leapfrog our Aerospace industry in plugging the strategic gap in our jet engine sector, thereby making India also a major world player in the Aerospace sector, as India is presently in the Space sector.  Jai Hind!     

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alongside Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, inaugurated the TATA Aircraft Complex for manufacturing C-295 aircraft in Vadodara, Gujarat. This initiative includes 56 C-295 aircraft, with 16 being delivered directly from Airbus in Spain and the remaining 40 to be produced at TATA Advanced Systems Limited (TASL).

An official statement from PM Modi's office highlighted the establishment of a comprehensive ecosystem for the aircraft's manufacture, assembly, testing, and lifecycle maintenance. The leaders participated in a 2.5 km roadshow to mark the significance of this first private-sector Final Assembly Line (FAL) for military aircraft in India.

During the ceremony, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran acknowledged the visionary leadership of Ratan Tata, who initially conceptualized the project in 2012. "I must remember Ratan Tata Ji for laying the foundation of this groundbreaking initiative," he stated.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called it a "very special day" for India's aerospace sector, emphasizing that this project signifies a major accomplishment for Indian private industry, marking the first instance of a complete military aircraft being manufactured in India by a private firm.

PM Modi laid the foundation for the C-295 FAL plant in October 2022. The Ministry of Defence signed a ?21,935-crore contract with Airbus Defense and Space in 2021 for the aircraft. The C-295, with a capacity of 5-10 tonnes, is designed to replace the ageing Avro-748 planes in the Indian Air Force. Known for its reliability and endurance of up to 11 hours, the aircraft can perform multi-role operations in various environments and features a rear ramp for quick troop and cargo deployment. All units will include an indigenous Electronic Warfare suite from Indian defense PSUs.

In a significant enhancement to its military capabilities, India has finalized a deal with the United States to acquire 31 MQ-9B Predator drones, marking a pivotal moment in defense cooperation between the two nations. The Indian Navy will receive 15 SeaGuardian drones, while both the Army and Air Force will each be allocated eight SkyGuardian variants. The total cost of the procurement is estimated to be under $3.5 billion.

Approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security, this acquisition involves American manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) under a Foreign Military Sales contract. The MQ-9B Predator is a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle capable of flying for 40 hours at altitudes exceeding 40,000 feet, with an external payload capacity of 2,155 kg.

Equipped with advanced surveillance capabilities and precision strike missiles, the MQ-9B is well-suited for a variety of missions, including land and maritime surveillance, anti-submarine operations, and electronic warfare. In February, a US State Department spokesperson emphasized the deal’s significance in strengthening strategic technology and military collaboration in the Indo-Pacific region, highlighting its role in the growing US-India defense partnership.

Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi will succeed Gen Manoj Pande as the next Chief of the Army Staff, the government announced, ending speculations about the key appointment. Currently serving as Vice Chief of the Army Staff, Lt Gen Dwivedi will assume the new role on June 30, following Gen Pande's retirement.

The government adhered to the seniority principle in appointing Lt Gen Dwivedi, who has extensive operational experience along the China and Pakistan frontiers. Despite extending Gen Pande's tenure by a month, speculations about Lt Gen Dwivedi being overlooked were unfounded.

Lt Gen Dwivedi, born on July 1, 1964, is an alumnus of Sainik School, Rewa. Commissioned into the 18 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles on December 15, 1984, he later commanded the unit. His distinguished nearly 40-year career includes commanding the Northern Command from 2022-2024, where he provided strategic guidance and oversaw counter-terrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir.

He has been decorated with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, and three GOC-in-C Commendation Cards. An alumnus of the National Defence College and US Army War College, he holds an MPhil in defence and management studies and two Masters' Degrees in Strategic Studies and Military Science.