Air Marshal Douglas George King-Lee, AVSM (3040) Flying (Pilot) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force in 1944 and has held many important command and staff assignments during his long meritorious service in the Air Force. His command appointments included the command of an important air base, a Tactical Air Centre, a Base Repair Depot, an Air Defence Control Centre, HQ Maritime Air Operations, Bombay and J & K area. His important staff appointments included Air Adviser to our High Commission in Bangladesh, Senior Air Staff Officer of Training Command and presently, Commandant of the National Defence College.

Air Marshal King-Lee during his service career has undergone a large number of professional courses - both in India and abroad - which includes Flying Instructors course at UK, Defence Services Staff College course at Wellington, Senior Officers Management course at Secunderabad and the National Defence College course.

During his tenure as OC of a Base Repair Depot, production rose to a level which had not been achieved ever before at that particular Depot. As Air Defence Commander of Eastern Sector during Bangladesh liberation war of 1971 he displayed exceptional qualities of supervision and leadership by maximum utilisation of available resources. Thereafter as Air Adviser to our High Commission in Bangladesh during the critical period from 1972-76, he displayed a rare combination of professionalism as well as diplomacy in extremely delicate handling of sensitive matters.

With vast experience as an instructor, both in the air and on the ground, and having held important assignments, Air Marshal King-Lee as Senior Air Staff Officer, Training Command, constantly reviewed training syllabi for every branch and trade and was thus instrumental in re-shaping the training in the IAF. During this period the Flying Training establishments had the lowest ever wastage rate among trainee pilots without compromising our standards.

Air Marshal King-Lee in his long career in the Indian Air Force has shown outstanding qualities of dynamic leadership and organisational, managerial and professional competence of a very high order.

Air Marshal Douglas George King-Lee has thus rendered distinguished service of the most exceptional order.

Air Marshal Balwant Wickram Chauhan, AVSM (3352) Flying (Pilot) was commissioned in the Air Force in 1946. He was graded an above average Pilot on completion of his flying training and started his flying career on transport aircraft. He has so far flown 25 different types of aircraft including jets.

This Officer spent the early years of his flying career in Air Headquarters Communications Squadron where he was engaged in flying VVIPs within and outside India. He holds the distinction of being the first Indian Air Force Officer to obtain 'A' Category on transport aircraft. He is also the only officer of the Indian Air Force who has served with the Queen's Flight of the Royal Air Force. He was the leader of the Team for supply dropping trials from AVRO 748 aircraft in J & K and Ladakh. Air Marshal Chauhan has held various Command and Staff appointments with credit. As a member of the Aircrew Examining Board in the early days after its formation, he applied his professional skill and knowledge of aircraft in evolving sound testing procedures for aircrew, thereby ensuring the highest standards of flying amongst the flying crew of the Indian Air Force.

He has also served with distinction at an important establishment where, in addition to his normal duties involving supervision of operations, technical, equipment and administrative departments of his organisation, Air Marshal Chauhan undertook a number of difficult and risky operations, particularly in the 1971 operations against Pakistan when he flew 34 hours on special operational missions.

As Commandant of Air Force Academy, Air Marshal Chauhan with meticulous planning and utilisation of manpower, aircraft and equipment, ensured a very high standard of training.

With vast experience as an instructor both in the air and on the ground and having held important assignments, Air Marshal Chauhan, as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Training Command, reshaped the training in the Indian Air Force and achieved laudable results. He has been instrumental in successfully increasing the intakes at the training establishments. Over his entire career as a Pilot and as a Staff Officer, Air Marshal Balwant Wickram Chauhan has established himself as a leader of men, an organiser and an administrator of a very high ability. He has always worked with a spirit of dedication and exemplary devotion to duty.

Air Marshal Balwant Wickram Chauhan has thus rendered distinguished service of the most exceptional order.

Air Marshal Jagdish Raj Bhasin, AVSM, VM (3591) Flying (Pilot) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force in July, 1949. During his long service career, he has held a variety of Command and Staff appointments with distinction at various levels including policy making levels. In the varied posts held by him, he has distinguished himself not only by professional competence but also by outstanding administrative ability.

His command appointments include the command of two front line fighter Squadrons, where he accomplished high rate of aircraft serviceability, enhanced operational preparedness and all round efficiency.

As Air Officer Commanding of a major operational base Air Marshal Bhasin, within a very short time, was able to integrate his command of multi Squadron force into an efficient team achieving lowest ever aircraft accident rate, while maintaining a high serviceability and utilisation rate. In addition to heavy air maintenance tasks, his base was also called upon to undertake relief operations after the devastating earthquake in Himachal Pradesh in January/February 1975 and during floods in August, 1975. The air efforts in both these relief operations had won high acclaim and enhanced the prestige of the Air Force. This was possible because of the excellent planning and leadership displayed by Air Marshal Bhasin.

In recent years, this officer, has held with distinction the important appointments of Director of Offensive Ops at Air Headquarters in the rank of Air Commodore and the appointment of Senior Air Staff Officer at HQ Eastern Air Command in the rank of Air Vice Marshal.

In his present appointment as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief South Western Air Command, he has displayed exceptional qualities of leadership and planning. By his dedicated and dynamic approach he has ensured a very high state of operational preparedness within his command, inspite of serious difficulties in the form of fuel and power shortages and diminishing spares backing for ageing aircraft. Through his close monitoring of ground maintenance, flying and allied activities, Air Marshal Bhasin has been instrumental in building up an operational infrastructure of an exceptional order.

Air Marshal Jagdish Raj Bhasin has thus rendered distinguished service of the most exceptional order.

Air Vice Marshal Loreto Pestana Pereira (3705) was commissioned in the Logistics Branch of the Air Force in 1945. The Officer graduated from the Defence Services Staff College in 1959. As a member of the Maintenance Planning Teams and as Deputy Air Adviser at High Commission for India in London he effectively provided

the required spares support to the existing and newly inducted aircraft. One of the pioneers in management training in the Air Force, he helped build up the Institute of Defence Management in its early formative years and then functioned, with distinction, as Director of the Defence Institute of Work Study.

Air Vice Marshal Pereira has been responsible for successful logistics planning connected with induction of new weapon systems. His able and inspiring guidance has helped sustain a high serviceability rate of trainer aircraft despite the ageing of the HT-2 aircraft. In field of Logistics Management, he not only introduced major improvements in the 'on-going' schemes but has effectively put to use exceptional conceptual and innovative skills in evolving new and better supply organisation and procedures. The most notable of these changes are revision of maximum potential establishment for strategic items; direct supply and return of rotables between the repair agencies and operational units; introduction of automatic replenishment of airmen's clothings and streamlining provisioning and purchase procedures.

Air Vice Marshal Loreto Pestana Pereira has thus shown outstanding qualities of leadership, conceptual ability and professional competence. With a spirit of dedication and exemplary sense of duty he has rendered distinguished service of the most exceptional order.

Air Vice Marshal Loreto Pestana Pereira has thus rendered distinguished service of the most exceptional order.

Air Vice Marshal Vajjha Sriman Narayana Murthy (3587) Medical (Retired) was commissioned in the Army Medical Corps in 1948 and after a brief period of service in the Army was seconded to the Indian Air Force. Air Vice Marshal Murthy, in spite of his being older in age had the determination to go through the flying training in 1950 and became a fully qualified pilot of the Indian Air Force. He was one of the first few

Medical Officers in country to have achieved this distinction.

Air Vice Marshal Murthy was sent abroad for post-graduate studies from where he qualified as a Otolaryngologist and he was classified in this specialty in 1960. While serving at the Institute of Aviation Medicine, he designed an 'Anechoic' Chamber for a specialised examination of pilots which resulted in considerable saving of foreign exchange.

In 1978 Air Vice Marshal Murthy was appointed as President of Central Medical Establishment of the Indian Air Force dealing with medical evaluation of civil and military aircrew where he performed a sensitive task in a judicious and tactful manner and brought about further improvements. He was appointed as a consultant in the specialty of Otolaryngology for the Armed Forces in view of his long experience. The Officer's contribution in the field of Aviation Otolaryngology has been most outstanding and meritorious. His extensive research on the effects of noise, vibration and disorientation in flight and on ground has been a tremendous help in improving the flying and operational efficiency.

Air Vice Marshal Vajjha Sriman Narayana Murthy (Retired) has thus rendered distinguished service of the most exceptional order.