Harjit Singh Arora

Air Marshal
Harjit Singh Arora
AVSM
Born (1961-06-25) June 25, 1961
Allegiance  India
Service/branch  Indian Air Force
Years of service December 1981 - Present
Rank Air Marshal
Commands held South Western Air Command
Director General Air Operations
Director General of Inspection and Safety
Awards Ati Vishisht Seva Medal
Spouse(s) Baljeet
Children 2 sons

Harjit Singh Arora is the air officer commanding-in-chief (AOC-in-C) of the Indian Air Force's South Western Air Command. Arora assumed office of AOC-in-C on 30 September 2018, after the retirement of Ravinder Kumar Dhir.[1][2][3]

Early life and education

Arora is an alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and the National Defence College, New Delhi. He is a graduate from the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment in Gwalior. He also has an M. Phil. in defence and strategic studies.

Career

Arora was commissioned as a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force in December 1981. He has flying experience of over 2600 hours on Mig-21, Mig-29, and also helicopters.[3]

Arora has commanded a Mig-21 squadron and then Air Defence Direction Center as a Group Captain in the south western sector. He has also commanded 45 Squadron as a wing commander. He has held other posts including air officer commanding of the Adampur Air Force Station, air defence commander at Western Air Command Headquarters, air defence commander at Eastern Air Command Headquarters, directing staff at Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment and as a flying inspector in the Directorate of Air Staff Inspection. He also served as a defence attaché at the Indian embassy at Bangkok from 2006 to 2009.[3][1]

Awards and medals

Arora was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in January 2011.[4]
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Samanya Seva Medal Siachen Glacier Medal Operation Vijay Medal
Operation Parakram Medal Sainya Seva Medal High Altitude Service Medal Videsh Seva Medal
50th Anniversary of Independence Medal 30 Years Long Service Medal 20 Years Long Service Medal 9 Years Long Service Medal

Personal life

Arora is married to Baljeet; the couple have two sons.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 "Air Marshal Harjit Singh Arora AVSM takes over Command as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief South Western Air Command" (Press release). 2 October 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  2. ↑ "Air Marshal Arora is South-Western Commander-in-Chief". 1 October 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Air Marshal HS Arora AVSM Takes Over as Director General Air (Operations)" (Press release). 26 August 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  4. ↑ "440 Republic Day Gallantry and other Defence Decorations Announced" (Press release). 25 January 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
Military offices
Preceded by
Ravinder Kumar Dhir		 Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, South Western Air Command
30 September 2018 - Present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.