appointments

Gen ManoJ Pande takes CharGe as 29th arMy ChIeF

new Delhi. General Manoj Pande on April 30 took charge as the 29th Chief of the Army Staff. He succeeds Gen MM Naravane, who retired from service the same day. Gen Pande became the first officer from the Corps of Engineers to helm the force and was currently serving as the vice chief of Indian army.

Gen Pande has taken charge of the Army at a time India is facing myriad security challenges, including along the borders with China and Pakistan. As the Army chief, he will also have to coordinate with the Navy and the Indian Air Force on the government’s plan to roll out theatre commands. He took over as the Vice Chief of Army Staff on February 1, 2022. Earlier, he was the Commander-in-Chief Andaman & Nicobar Command (CINCAN) from June 2020 to May 2021 and the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command from June 2021 to January 2022.

Gen Manoj Pande, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, was commissioned in December 1982 in the Corps of Engineers (The Bombay Sappers). He has commanded 117 Engineer Regiment during Operation PARAKRAM in the sensitive Pallanwala Sector of Jammu and Kashmir, along the Line of Control. Gen Pande is a graduate of Staff College, Camberley (United Kingdom) and attended the Higher Command (HC) and National Defence College (NDC) Courses.

In his 39-year distinguished military career, he has tenanted important and challenging command and staff appointments in different operational environments. It includes command of an Engineer Brigade in the Western Theatre as part of Strike Corps; an Infantry Brigade along Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, a Mountain Division in the High Altitude Area of Western Ladakh and command of a Corps deployed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and in Counter Insurgency Operations area of Eastern Command. His staff exposures include Brigade Major of a Mountain Brigade in the North East, Assistant Military Secretary (AMS) in Military Secretary’s Branch, Colonel Q of a Mountain Division in High Altitude Area and Brigadier General Staff (Operations) at Headquarters Eastern Command. He has served as a Chief Engineer in the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea. He has also tenanted the appointments of Additional Director General in the Military Operations Directorate at Army Headquarters, Chief of Staff Headquarters Southern Command and Director General Discipline Ceremonial & Welfare at the Army Headquarters.

He has been conferred with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal, the Chief of Army Staff Commendation and twice with GOC-in-C Commendation for his illustrious service. He is also the Colonel Commandant, The Bombay Sappers.

aIr MarshaL s Prabhakaran takes CharGe as CoMMander, Western aIr CoMMand

new Delhi. Air Marshal Sreekumar Prabhakaran assumed command of Delhi based Western Air Command (WAC) on March 1. The Air Marshal is a graduate of National Defence Academy, Pune and was commissioned into the IAF as a fighter pilot on December 22, 1983.

He is an alumnus of Defence Services

Staff College (DSSC) Wellington and

National Defence College, New Delhi.

An experienced MiG-21 pilot and a category ‘A’ qualified flying instructor,

Air Marshal Prabhakaran has nearly 5000 hours of flying experience.

In a service career spanning over 38 years, the Air Marshal has tenanted important command and staff appointments. These include command of two flying stations and IAF’s Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT). He has served as Directing Staff at DSSC, Commandant of the College of Air Warfare (CAW), Defence Attaché at the Indian Mission at Cairo, Egypt, Assistant Chief of Air Staff Intelligence [ACAS (Int)], Director General (Inspection & Safety) and Senior Air Staff Officer of the Gandhinagar based South Western Air Command. He was Commandant of the Air Force Academy, Hyderabad prior to taking over the present appointment.

The Air Officer is a recipient of Vayu Sena Medal and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal. Air Marshal S Prabhakaran succeeds Air Marshal Amit Dev who superannuated on February 28 after more than 39 years of distinguished service in IAF.

vICe adMIraL sanJay MahIndru takes CharGe as dePuty ChIeF oF navaL staFF

new Delhi: vice admiral sanjay Mahindru, avsM, nM assumed charge as deputy Chief of the naval staff on March 31. vice admiral sanjay Mahindru is an alumni of the national defence academy, khadakvasla. he was commissioned into the indian navy on January 1985 and is a submarine and navigation specialist. in his career spanning over 37 years, he has held a variety of Command and staff appointments both ashore and afloat. The Flag Officer has commanded ins shalki, a Type 1500 shishumar Class submarine, Cadets Training ship ins krishna, and destroyer ins Rajput. he has also commanded ins satavahana the navy’s submarine Training establishment where he set up the school for advanced Underwater Warfare. in his staff tenures he has served in the directorate of submarine Operations and directorate of nuclear submarine acquisition at ihQ Mod (n). he has also carried out duties as naval assistant to FOC-in-C (West) and FOC-in-C (south). On promotion to the rank of Rear admiral in 2015, he tenanted the appointments of Flag Officer submarines & Flag Officer Maharashtra area and Chief staff Officer at hQsFC. On elevation to the rank of vice admiral in 2019, he held the challenging and coveted appointment of deputy C-in-C of the strategic Forces Command prior taking over the present appointment as deputy Chief of naval staff at ihQ Mod (n). he has attended the Joint services staff College, Uk and the College of naval Warfare Mumbai. he has a Ma (defence studies) from kings College, London and M Phil (defence studies) from Mumbai University.The Flag Officer was awarded the ati vishisht seva Medal in 2018 and nau sena Medal (Gallantry) in 2002, by the hon’ble President of india.

saIF aL dahbashI aPPoInted ChIeF exeCutIve oFFICer oF aL taIF, an edGe GrouP entIty

Abu Dhabi: EDGE, the region’s leading advanced technology group, and one of the top 25 in the world, announced the appointment of Saif Ali Al Dahbashi to the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at its entity AL TAIF, the leading UAE in-country provider of lifecycle support for military land platforms and systems through maintenance, repair and overhaul, supply chain management, technical training and engineering services. AL TAIF is part of the Land division within EDGE Group’s Platforms & Systems cluster.

Mansour AlMulla, Managing Director and CEO of EDGE Group, said: “The appointment of Saif as CEO of AL TAIF will see him use his considerable industry experience and leadership skills to successfully steer the business operations of AL TAIF, and to deliver growth in line with its overall vision and objectives. A major pillar of this strategy is the continued support and development of the UAE’s sovereign capabilities as it looks to become a global hub of advanced technologies and defence related services. We wish him every success.”

Previously AL TAIF’s Chief Operating Officer, Al Dahbashi brings to his new role 17 years of experience in shaping and implementing large-scale transformational programmes across major commercial organisations, including major UAE based companies such as Strata Manufacturing and Mubadala Investment Company.

GeneraL atoMICs naMes dr Wayne soLoMon as vICe PresIdent For MaGnetIC FusIon enerGy dIvIsIon

san Diego: General Atomics (GA) has named Dr. Wayne Solomon as Vice President for its Magnetic Fusion Energy (MFE) Division, effective immediately.

Dr. Solomon joined GA in 2016 as Deputy Director for the DIII-D National Fusion Facility. Most recently, he held the role of Director of Science & Technology and Deputy Director for MFE, where he helped develop a longrange strategy for the Division and oversaw innovative science, research, and technology development programs within the Energy Group. Dr. Solomon also has had a strong involvement in the fusion science community. In 2018, he became a Co-chair of the American Physical Society Division of Plasma Physics Community Planning Process and helped lead the effort to develop a consensus long range strategic plan for the U.S. fusion community. After completion of that work, he was selected as a leader of the Department of Energy Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) Long Range Planning Subcommittee, and the report was unanimously endorsed by the full FESAC committee. Prior to joining GA, Dr. Solomon worked at DIII-D as a collaborating scientist from Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and led the Dynamics and Control research group. He holds a Ph.D. in Plasma Physics from the Australian National University.