On January 1, 2026, the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) of the best South Western Air Command (SWAC) of the Indian Air Force was commissioned as the Air Marshal Tejinder Singh. The current officer in charge of the new officer replacing Air Marshal S P Dharkar has the track record of over 40 years of service that is squeaky clean due to operational perfection and strategy.
Successes of a Career of Prominence.
On June 14, 1986, Air Marshal Singh was commissioned into the fighter stream and he is an experienced flying instructor of more than 4,000 hours of accident-free flight experience of different aircraft platforms including MiG-21, Su-30 MKI, MiG-29, Jaguar and Hawk. His military training has seen him command a squadron of MiG-21 in Operation Safed Sagar in 1999 and this shows that he can work under high risk air missions in the air in over Kargil.
In general, he has commanded various frontline fighter squadrons and air bases in his career which includes AFS Jamnagar, Ambala and Adampur. Among them are such posts as Director of Air Staff Inspection, Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Operations), and Director General (Inspection and Safety). He had served the headquarters of SWAC as Senior Air Staff Officer in the year 2024 before being elevated.
SWAC’s Strategic Mandate
SWAC, which is based in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, is tasked with the airdrome defense of the west and the southwestern regions of India, including keys states of Rajasthan to Gujarat and the Arabsian Sea. Its strategic command has helped to protect the national skies in the context of the evolving threats posed by both Pakistan and China and has integrated the current modern equipments like Rafale, Tejas and S-400, weapons.
The appointment of the Air Marshal Singh comes in good time as the IAF rushes to modernize the project under the Atmanirbhar Bharat with their focus on domestic fighters, AWACS modernization, and capability of drone warfare. His expertise in the sphere of air combat and inspection keeps SWAC in the multi-domain combat.
Leadership Vision
During traditional change-of-command ceremony, when he laid a wreath at the Command Air Force War Memorial, Air Marshal Singh was able to assess the guard of honor. He pointed out the problems of operational preparedness, incorporation of technology, and individual wellbeing as the pillars of his management.
SWAC employees have ensured professionalism. He said that we would enhance our operational advantage collectively as well as be innovative. Colleagues admire his mentorship skills and their ability to remain calm when confronted with stress, and these skills are acquired throughout a number of staff courses, including the National Defence College.
Broader IAF Context
This change demonstrates that IAF is becoming technology conscious leaders as the squadrons are brief and tension along the border. With intrusion of china into Ladakh as well as upgrading of air force by Pakistan, role of SWAC in combined theatre commands becomes pressing.
The directive of Air Marshal Singh is a pointer of the strengthening of the Indian air defense using the traditional and new strategies.
