| Details : |  Air Commodore Navayath Santosh (17720) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as a helicopter pilot in the flying branch on 21 Dec 84. He is a Helicopter Combat Leader with 5072 hours of accident free flying. The officer is an alumnus of the Defence Service Staff College and College of Defence Management. His previous appointments include Flight Commander of a helicopter unit, Commanding Officer of two Helicopter Units, one of which was under the United Nations in Congo. Chief Operations Officer of a base under the United Nations in Congo. Commander of a Tactical Air Centre in the Western Sector and a member of the faculty in the Defence Service Staff College at Wellington. Prior to the present appointment, he was Air I at Advance Headquarter South Western Air Command. With his foresight and involvement. the officer ironed out long standing contentious issues relating to joint operations and drafted the Joint Operations Directive. He was also instrumental in creating Joint Digital Target Folders of the sector. He worked in conjunction with the sister services and demonstrated maturity and understanding of the needs of the other services. In the present appointment as the Air Officer Commanding of an operational base. the officer has displayed unflinching loyalty, dedication, eye for detail. excellent ability to motivate his team. perseverance and the will to prevail under all odds. The base was entrusted the onerous task of conducting the President's Standard Presentation to two operational squadrons for the first time under Southern Air Command. The foresight, planning and execution under his command were exceptional. wherein. the complete event was executed with clockwork precision and impeccable military standards, thereby winning accolades from one and all. Under his command. the Base has also seen a multitude of infrastructural developments as a result of his holistic planning and initiative. The Sarang Display Team that was non-operational for over a year was resurrected smoothly largely due to his guidance and supervision. For distinguished service of high order. Honlle President is pleased to award Vishisht Seva Medal to Air Commodore Navayath Santosh. |
