Shillong, Sep 9 (IANS): Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia on Monday assumed charge as the Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) at the Indian Air Force's Eastern Air Command, an official statement said.
The SASO's post in the IAF is equivalent to the Chief of Staff in various Commands of the Indian Army and the Indian Navy.
An alumnus of the prestigious National Defence Academy, he was commissioned into the IAF's fighter stream on June 11, 1988.
"With an illustrious flying career spanning over 3,200 hours, Air Marshal Walia has flown a wide variety of fighter aircraft, including all variants of the MiG-21, MiG-23 BN, MiG-27, Jaguar, and Su-30 MKI," an official statement said.
The Air Marshal has commanded a frontline fighter squadron, the Tactical and Combat Development Establishment (TACDE), and a key base in the Central Sector.
In addition to his operational expertise, he has held several important staff appointments at both Command and Air Headquarters. He has also served as the Defence Attache to Japan, further enhancing his diplomatic and international experience.
Prior to the appointment to the position of SASO at the Eastern Air Command, he served as Air Defence Commander at the frontline Western Air Command (WAC).
The official statement further mentioned that in recognition of his distinguished service, Air Marshal Walia was awarded the Vayu Sena Medal in 2008 and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2018.
One of the IAF's five operational commands, the Eastern Air Command has its headquarters in Meghalaya's Shillong. Initially designated as the No 1 Operational Group on May 27, 1958, it was situated in Ranikutir, Kolkata, as part of the government's growing focus on border defence in the east. The decision was taken to establish a full-fledged command in Shillong following the 1962 India-China war.
The command's current area of responsibility spans 11 states and is bounded by the 6,300 km border shared with Bangladesh, China, Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar. Currently, Chabua, Guwahati, Bagdogra, Barrackpore, Hasimara, Jorhat, Kalaikunda, and Tezpur have permanent airbases operated by EAC.