Air Commodore Teshter Jall Master was commissioned in the Indian Air Force in March 1963. He has held important field and staff appointments apart from taking active part in the 1965 and 1971 operations. In August 1986, he was appointed as the Command Air Defence Officer, HQ WAC. During this tenure, he successfully implemented the Limited Area Defence concept from within the existing resources of WAC. This has now been generally adopted in the IAF and has greatly enhanced our air defence potential. During the operational alert in early 1987, the officer was singularly involved in the deployment and the activation of air defence Elements and handling of all operational contingencies arising thereof with speed and efficiency.

In his present appointment as the Director of Electronic Warfare at the Air HQ, the officer has once again displayed his zeal and ingenuity in giving impetus to all EW activities in the Air Force. He has been responsible for planning and optimising EW inductions, training and electronic intelligence gathering activities. By ensuring that an indigenous ECM equipment was proven and declared operational in a short time, he saw to it that our operational capabilities as well as our indigenous R&D programme received a major boost. A noteworthy achievement of the officer has been to establish an Electronic Warfare Computer Centre which processes the entire Elint data collected by the AF and those received from other agencies. It was under his guidance that tasking and data flow from the ARC were streamlined. Finally, it is due to the officer's initiative that efforts to enhance our EW training as well as to bring about greater awareness of EW in the IAF are now bearing fruit.

Air Commodore Teshter Jail Master has, thus, rendered distinguished service of an exceptional order.

Air Marshal Teshter Jall Master AVSM (7224) F (P) was commissioned in the IAF on 09 Mar 63 as a Fighter Pilot. He has to his credit more than 2500 hrs of flying on aircraft of both Soviet and Western origin. During his distinguished career he has held several important field and staff appointments. Apart from commanding an operational Squadron and an ADDC, he has commanded a premier fighter Base. He has contributed in the Field of EW and Defence Production when posted in staff appointment at Air HQ. He was Air Attaché at Washington before taking over the command of College of Defence Management. Prior to his present appointment as Inspector General (Flight Safety & Inspection) since Oct 1999, he held the appointment of Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) of an Operational Command.

As Commandant of College of Defence Management, a Class 'A' Joint Services Institution, he brought about recognition to the college at the national and international level thereby enhancing its image. During his tenure an annual seminar was instituted at the national level. The recognition of the College at international level is evident from the fact that representation from friendly countries was for the first time at Major General level. With his zeal he got the long-standing proposal for permanent accommodation of the college cleared which will result in the move of CDM from its present temporary accommodation to its permanent location in the near future,

As SASO, of an Operational Command he was responsible for the smooth induction of the SU-30 fleet. With foresight and innovative planning he ensured that the Squadron achieved its full potential and was available for operations during the Kargil crisis. As SASO he was responsible for Air Power Demonstration both at Pokhran and Mumbai. The Vayu Shakti at Pokhran in Mar 99 had for the first time air to air missiles firing and full depiction of an air land battle. These events having been conducted safely speaks highly of the professionalism of the Officer. He was also tasked with the move of Command HQ to a new location, which he completed in meticulously under adverse circumstances. The HQ becoming operational in a short duration paid dividends during Op Safed Sagar, which was fully conducted from the new location of the HQ. He fine tuned Air Defence of Command area of operation along with revitalizing Pechora units and C&R system wherein a new CRC was introduced in the Gujarat area and Air Defence of Mumbai strengthened.

As IG (FS&I) he has put in considerable effort for accident prevention with special reference on accidents due to human error and technical defects. He has also been responsible for introduction of Role Specific Inspection and a new pattern for selection of units for annual awards. This will not only enhance the Op potential of the IAF but also foster air warrior qualities. During this period he was also a member of the Task Force on Review of Defence Management from May to Sep 2000, a task he carried out in addition to his regular duties.

Air Marshal Teshter Jall Master AVSM has thus rendered distinguished service of the most exceptional order.