Air Marshal MK Anand, VM was commissioned in the IAF on 17 Mar 58, During his distinguished career spanning of 37 years, the Air Officer acquitted himself commendably in a wide array of challenging assignments which include Chief Personnel Staff Officer of two Commands, Director of Organisation, Director of Personnel Airmen and Senior Officer Administration of South Western Air Command (SOA, SWAC.),

Air Marshal Anand commenced his career on an admirable note as Para Jumping Instructor and has many firsts to his credit. He was awarded Vayu Sena Medal in 1974 for his pioneering role in para trooping in high altitude areas .

An alumnus of national Defence College, Air Marshal Anand while serving as SOA, SWAC, diligently planned and improved upon the infrastructure to increase the operational potential of the Command as well as working and living environment of all field units. He ensured timely completion of projects thereby eliminating cost and time overruns.

The Air Officer was appointed Air Officer incharge Administration at Air HQ on 13 Jul 92. The Air Officer undertook a number of progressive actions in planning and execution of works services and administration of Non Public Funds and IAF Schools. He has taken effective steps to improve the state of discipline by laying emphasis on preventive measures and timely administration of justice. Air Marshal Anand has been responsible for introduction and improvement of a large number of welfare programmes to improve the quality of life, namely, increasing the satisfaction level and availability of married accommodation and improving medical facilities for serving and retired personnel.

Air Marshal MK Anand, VM has thus rendered distinguished service of the most exceptional order.

Air Marshal SN Rathour, AVSM, VM was commissioned, as a Navigator on 19 Dec 58. He has held highest transport category on four types of aircraft and was selected for training in USSR on IL-14 and AN-12 aircraft. He was awarded VM for distinction in flying in Jan 74.

During his distinguished service spanning 37 years, the Air Officer has held many key field and staff appointments. He has commanded three Air Force Stations and was specially selected to train the Air Force Officers of a friendly country. For his distinguished service of exceptional order, he was awarded AVSM on 26 Jan 88.

The Air Officer was appointed President of Air Force Selection Board at Dehradun for 3 years where about 5000 candidates were interviewed and screened every year for selection as officers to various Branches of IAF. He was also appointed DG Resettlement and later held with distinction the appointment of Senior Officer in-charge Administration at HQ Central Air Command and HQ Western Air Command.

An alumnus of National Defence College, the Air Officer, on promotion to the rank of Air Marshal, was appointed Air Officer incharge Personnel at Air HQ in Jan 94. The Air Officer showed a remarkable ability to produce man-machine interface which is so vital to a military service. The Air Officer with his vast knowledge, experience, acumen and finely developed managerial skills, very ably carried the gamut of perspective planning or personnel towards designing Human Resources Development Systems for the futuristic Air Force. These policies on implementation are bound to serve towards betterment of operational preparedness of the IAF.

Air Marshal Shiv Nath Rathour, AVSM, VM has thus rendered distinguished service of the most exceptional order.

Air Marshal Janak Kapur, VSM was commissioned as a pilot on 19 Dec 58. The Air Officer's potential as a fighter pilot was recognised within a short period of his commissioning and he was chosen to undergo Pilot Attack Instructor and Instrument Rating Instructor's Courses in quick succession. He was selected to undergo the Air Staff Course at Royal Air Force Staff College, UK. He also served as Air Attaché in the Indian Embassy at Cairo, Egypt. For his distinguished service, he was awarded VSM in 1976.

During his long service career the Air Officer has served in many prestigious and prominent command and staff appointments. He has commanded a frontline fighter squadron with distinction. He was appointed Chief Operations Officer of the then newly established Jaguar Base and later took over as Air Officer Commanding of the same base. He has held the sensitive appointments of Director of Flight Safety and later Air I of HQ South Western Air Command.

The Air Officer was appointed Senior Air and Administrative Staff Officer of HQ Maintenance Command for more than three years. Thereafter, he took over as Senior Air Staff Officer of Western Air Command in Oct 93 and very gainfully applied his vast experience to improve operational environment and the state of preparedness of the forces in Command.

A graduate of the prestigious National Defence College, Air Mshl Janak Kapur was appointed Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command (EAC) on 01 Feb 95. EAC is a unique Command with dual role on fighter as well as Air Transport aircraft. Within a very short time, the Air Officer was able to appreciate the priorities of the Govt. and dovetail them with the Command Plans.

Air Marshal Janak Kapur, VSM has thus rendered distinguished service of the most exceptional order.

Air Marshal DR Nadkarni, AVSM, VM was commissioned as a fighter pilot on 19 Dec 58. He was selected as member of lAF's first nine aircraft (ac) formation aerobatics team in 1961. In later years, the team was named 'Thunderbolts'. He qualified as a Pilot Attack Instructor in 1964 and as Instrument Rating instructor in 1967. He was specially selected to be posted to the first MiG-21 Squadron (Sqn) of the IAF and later as an Air Force Examiner at the Aircrew Examining Board. For exceptional devotion to duty, he was awarded VM in 1970. During 1971 IndoPak war the Air Officer was attached to elite unit TACDE (Tactics & Combat Development Establishment) to be a part of a nucleus of highly experienced pilots to carry out special operations by day and night.

The Air Officer Commanded a frontline MiG-21 Sqn and was selected to go to UK for training on Jaguar ac. He commanded the first Jaguar Sqn of the IAF and successfully oversaw the induction of new ac in a planned manner. He was awarded AVSM in 1982 for distinguished service of an exceptional order.

The Air Officer was specially selected for the course at Royal College of Defence Studies, UK and on his return was appointed Air Officer Commanding of a major frontline fighter base. On completion of command he was appointed Air Assistant to the CAS in 1987. On promotion to the rank of AVM, he was appointed Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Operations). Air Marshal Nadkarni took over as Inspection General (IG) of IAF in Jul 94. It was his perceptive vision of compelling necessity to institute safety measures guaranteed to produce long term and lasting gains that a realistic appraisal was made and the present target for the entire decade was set. This raised the IAF's horizons from concerns about immediate gains to that of accident reduction and prevention of a more lasting nature over a long term.

Air Marshal DR Nadkarni, AVSM, VM has thus rendered distinguished service of the most exceptional order.

Air Marshal MC Uthaya was commissioned in the Aeronautical Engineering (Electronics) branch of IAF on 24 Nov 58. During his long and distinguished service career, the Air Officer has held various key field and staff appointments such as Air Officer Commanding of a signal unit, Directorate of Plan ADGES (Air Defence Ground Environment System) and Chief Programme Director ASWAC (Aerospace Warning and Control). He has also been an alumnus of the National Defence College. The Air Officer has been Staff Officer responsible for all technical maintenance at HQ Training Command and HQ Western Air Command. Subsequently he took over as Director General RCPO (Radar and Communication Project Organisation) responsible for system engineering and installation of Radar and Tropo communication links throughout the IAF as part of ADGES plan.

The Air Officer was appointed Air Officer incharge Maintenance at Air HQ on 01 Feb 94. Despite two major constraints, namely, depleted funds availability due to financial crunch and declining product support from the erstwhile Soviet Union, the Air officer effectively handled the maintenance management of IAF to keep up its operational preparedness. Air Marshal Uthaya with his technical acumen and administrative ability braved the challenge to ensure that the operational requirements were not unduly impaired or adversely affected. A number of projects to expedite indigenisation effort have been initiated under his watchful eyes and the successful implementation of these would greatly help tide over the crisis situation created by shortages of many imported items.

Air Marshal MC Uthaya has thus rendered distinguished service of the most exceptional order.

Air Marshal SR Deshpande, AVSM, VM was commissioned as a fighter pilot on 28 May 59. He has had the distinction of commanding a premier fighter Squadron and two operational fighter bases. The Air Officer is a qualified Pilot Attack Instructor and Fighter Combat Leader. He has served as an AF examiner in Aircrew Examining Board and as a directing staff in Tactics and Combat Development Establishment. An MA in Sociology, he is an alumni of Defence Services Staff College, National Defence College and College of Defence Management. His vast reservoir of knowledge, professionalism and ability to interact were amply displayed during his diplomatic assignment as Air Attaché in Embassy of India at Islamabad, Pakistan. He has also held important appointments of Director of Personnel Officers at Air HQ and Senior Air Staff Officer at HQ South Western Air Command. The Air Officer was awarded VM in 1976 and AVSM in 1991. Air Marshal Deshpande was appointed Deputy Chief of the Air Staff on 02 Mar 94. He is responsible for Planning and establishing long term re-equipment of IAF. He has formulated various modernisation plans, namely, MiG upgradation, procurement of Electronic Warfare equipment and other force multipliers and put them on firm footing all within the budgetary allocations. His phenomenal flair to interact effectively with civil officers at the highest level has been the hall mark of his professional excellence. He has left an indelible imprint in all the appointments he has held during his career spanning 36 years.

Air Marshal SR Deshpande, AVSM, VM has rendered distinguished service of the most exceptional order.