Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit takes the salute during the Guard of Honour as he assumes charge as the Vice-Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS), succeeding Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor, at the Air headquarters in New Delhi, on July 1, 2026.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, who served as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff during Operation Sindoor, took charge as the new Vice-Chief of the Air Staff on Wednesday (July 1, 2026), officials said.
He succeeded Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor, who superannuated on June 30 after four decades of service in the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Air Marshal Dixit was accorded a guard of honour at the Vayu Bhawan – the headquarters of the IAF – as he took charge as the new Vice-Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS).
Prior to the ceremony, the air officer visited the National War Memorial and laid a wreath to pay homage to the fallen heroes of the armed forces.
Before being appointed as VCAS, he was serving as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC) at the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) in New Delhi.
Air Marshal Dixit assumed the appointment of CISC on May 1, 2025, which he relinquished on June 30.
The HQ IDS said in an X post on Tuesday (June 30, 2026), “His tenure at HQ IDS was defined by landmark contributions that reshaped the contours of integrated defence playing a pivotal role in Operation Sindoor, a defining moment in India’s national security calculus; steering the release of 20 joint doctrines and primers that institutionalised tri services thought; conceptualising Ran Samwad 2025 and 2026, an unprecedented military dialogue platform; orchestrating the combined and joint commanders conferences 2025 and 2026; and anchoring the formulation of the Defence Forces Vision 2047 – a transformative roadmap for a technology-driven, integrated and future-ready military.”
The armed forces conducted Operation Sindoor in May 2025 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Military officers and experts have often emphasised the integration of the three services demonstrated during the military action that lasted nearly 88 hours starting early May 7.
Air Marshal Dixit was commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF in December 1986.
He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla; Defence Services Staff College, Bangladesh; and National Defence College, New Delhi.
The air officer is a “qualified flying instructor and experimental test pilot with over 3,300 hours of flying experience on more than 20 types of aircraft, including Mirage-2000, MiG-21 and Jaguar,” the Defence Ministry earlier said.
Air Marshal Tejinder Singh is set to be the next CISC, according to officials.
Published – July 01, 2026 03:34 pm IST
