INDIAN AIR FORCE · DEFENCE & LEADERSHIP

AIR CHIEF MARSHAL

BIRENDER SINGH DHANOA

PVSM · AVSM · YSM · VM · ADC

APPLICATION OF AEROSPACE POWER IN DEFENCE OF THE NATION

India is proud of Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa PVSM AVSM YSM VM ADC. A hero of Kargil war, which India fought against Pakistan in 1999, he takes every challenge with a smile.

Success Mantra

To achieve success work hard. There is no alternative to hard work.

Native & Birth

Gharuan, SAS Nagar (Punjab)

Born

September 7, 1957

Residence

New Delhi (INDIA)

Commissioned

June 1978 as a fighter pilot

Chief of Air Staff

25th Chief of the Air Staff of IAF

AIR CHIEF MARSHAL BIRENDER SINGH DHANOA

India is proud of Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa PVSM AVSM YSM VM ADC. A hero of Kargil war, which India fought against Pakistan in 1999, he takes every challenge with a smile. We feature a brief biography of Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, the 25th Chief of the Air Staff of IAF. As one of the leading Jewels of Punjab, the Sardar is firm when he patriotically says he belongs to no one state but the entire nation.

“Keeping India Safe”

A LEGACY OF SERVICE

IT RUNS IN OUR BLOOD

It was Air Chief Marshal's grandfather Sardar Sant Singh Dhanoa from whom the soldierly streaks ignited. Sardar Sant Singh Dhanoa joined as a boy recruit in one of the pioneer regiments of the British Indian Army, 'The Bombay Sappers and Miners'. After a brief stint with the Sappers he went on to join the 14th Punjab Regiment as a soldier and subsequently retired as a captain.

His father Sardar Surain Singh Dhanoa now 87 years old is a retired IAS officer who is well known in the bureaucratic circles for his honest character and exceptional administrative acumen. An alumnus of Khalsa College, Amritsar, DAV College Jalandhar and Aligarh University, he was outstanding in academics and also excelled in sports.

For his exceptional mastery in the field of administration, he was selected as the Deputy Director of Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy of Administration at Mussoorie. Sardar Surain Singh was instrumental in modernising the training programme and introducing activities relevant to administrative service requirements at the Academy.

As the Chief Secretary of Punjab from 1984 to 1985 in the aftermath of Operation Blue Star, he oversaw the restoration of normalcy in the state. He was the Union Health Secretary till he retired in 1988. In 1989 he was appointed Election Commissioner. The ensuing General Election was the first to be conducted by a multimember Election Commission in India. As a fellow at the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies (IIAS), Shimla from 1990 to 1993, he studied “The Evolution of the Sikh polity in relation to the Indian State”. The distinguished bureaucrat has written extensively on the subject in various magazines and academic journals and also recently published his autobiography, 'Nothing to Hide'.

FOLLOWING THE FOOTSTEPS OF HIS FOREFATHERS AND HIS DREAMS

Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa PVSM AVSM YSM VM ADC was born to Sardar Surain Singh Dhanoa and Sardarni Sukhdev Kaur on September 7, 1957, at his native village, Gharuan, situated 20 kilometers from Chandigarh. He spent his childhood in various places where his father was posted, however, Ranchi remains close to his heart still. He had spent substantial part of his schooling at St. Xavier's, Doranda, which he still fondly remembers.

He is an alumnus of Rashtriya Indian Military College, the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and the National Defence Academy. The Air Chief Marshal was commissioned in the IAF in June 1978 as a fighter pilot.

LEADING THE HEROES OF KARGIL WAR: INDIAN AIR FORCE

He has mainly flown the MiG-21 aircraft with flying experience across the entire spectrum of Fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force. In a career spanning over 37 years, he has flown the HJT-16 Kiran, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar and Su-30 MKI.

During war in Kargil (1999), as Commanding Officer of a frontline ground attack fighter squadron, he led the IAF to evict the enemy from their dug in defences in the icy heights of Kargil region. For his bravery, courage and innovative methodology of night bombing in mountainous region, he was awarded the Yudh Seva Medal.

How important is it to work as a team?

No single individual, organisation or service can bring success. It is always a team effort.

SERVICE · COMMAND · LEADERSHIP

AN ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER

During his career, he held many significant field and staff appointments at Operational Commands, Joint Training Establishments and Air Headquarters. The appointments include Command of a front line Fighter Base, Director Targeting Cell at Air Headquarters, Director Fighter Operations & War Planning at Headquarters Western Air Command, Chief Instructor (Air) at the prestigious Defence Services Staff College, Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Intelligence) at Air Headquarters and Senior Air Staff Officer of two Operational Commands.

He was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of South Western Air Command. Prior to taking over as Chief of the Air Staff on December 31, 2016, he held the appointment of Vice Chief of the Air Staff. In recognition for his meritorious service, the Air Chief Marshal has been awarded the Vayu Sena Medal (VM), Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) and Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM). He was appointed Principal Honourary ADC to the President of India on January 1, 2017.

HJT-16 Kiran MiG-21 MiG-29 Jaguar Su-30 MKI

SHE ALSO SERVES THE NATION... IN HER OWN UNIQUE WAY

He married Mrs. Kamalpreet on February 7, 1988, who hails from Mullapur (Dakha) in Punjab and is a post graduate in Chemistry. Mrs. Kamalpreet Dhanoa is also President of Air Force Wives Welfare Association (AFWWA), an organization which works towards empowering the wives of Air Warriors and provide assistance in meeting their aspirations.

Mrs. Dhanoa has deep affection for 'Special Children' and she has patronised “UMEED” an organisation which sponsors 26 schools for the under privileged, eight for the intellectually disabled and one vocational training centre. They were blessed with a son, Jasman, on September 10, 1993, who is a law graduate from Gujarat National Law University.

LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES

5 LIFE LESSONS TO BE TAKEN FROM A DEFENCE PERSONNEL

Selfless commitment

For anyone in defence service commitment to the country comes first always and every time.

Courage

This comes from inner-self. Be truthful, honest and forthright.

Respect for others

Be humane while interacting with others.

Planning

Be foresighted and innovative. Think out of the box.

Understand your limitations

You are as strong as your weakest link.

Message to the youth

The most important thing is to follow a goal that you want to achieve and you must have 'stars' in your eyes for the profession or job that you wish to pursue.

AIR CHIEF MARSHAL BIRENDER SINGH DHANOA

GALLERY

6 IMAGES