Change of guard

Vice-Admiral Madhvendra Singh and Air Marshal S. Krishnaswamy assume charge of the Navy and the IAF by the year-end.

BEFORE the year ends, both the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force (IAF) will have new chiefs. Vice-Admiral Madhvendra Singh will take over as the Chief of the Naval Staff on December 29, 2001. Air Marshal S. Krishnaswamy will take over as the Chief of the Air Staff, two days later.

The Navy is noticeably free of controversies these days. Besides, the incoming naval chief is a popular officer. His distinguished record speaks for itself. He was twice commended by the Chief of the Naval Staff and has received the Param Visisht Seva Medal and the Ati Visisht Seva Medal for distinguished service of a very high order. Madhvendra Singh hails from Rajasthan. He was born into a family with a pedigree military background. His father, the late Major General Bhagwati Singh, was the first cadet to pass out of the Indian Military Academy.

Madhvendra Singh joined the National Defence Academy in 1958 and was commissioned into the Navy in January 1963, where he specialised in gunnery. He is among the few Indian officers who have attended the advanced gunnery course at the Royal Military College of Science in the United Kingdom. He is a graduate of the Defence Service Staff College, Wellington, and has post-graduate degrees from the Naval War College, Newport, United States. He has commanded the missile frigate Talwar, the missile destroyer Ranvir and the aircraft carrier INS Viraat, besides holding other important staff and training appointments. Madhvendra Singh had held charge of both the Southern and Western Naval Commands in the mid-1990s.

Around the same time Air Marshal Srinivasapuram Krishnaswamy was in charge of the Southwestern and Southern Air Commands. In fact the new Air Force and Navy chiefs share a warm personal rapport and were both closely involved in drawing up plans for maritime operations during Operation Vijay.

Air Marshal S. Krishnaswamy. Vice-Admiral Madhvendra Singh.

During his long stint as a test pilot in the IAF, Krishnaswamy has flown all planes in the IAF's fleet in the last four decades. He says that he was enthused to join the IAF after seeing an IAF Hunter in action at an air show in Madras (now Chennai), where he was studying for a graduate degree. Before completing his degree in mathematics, the young Krishnaswamy joined the IAF, encouraged by his father, who was a medical practitioner. One of the first planes he flew was the Hunter. The last Hunter was phased out from service in October this year.

In the 1965 war he flew the Gnat fighters and saw action from close range. He remembers flying as the wing man with the hero of the 1965 war, Trevor Keelor, while conducting raids deep inside enemy territory on bombing missions. Krishnaswamy nostalgically recalls his close friends in the IAF who died in that war. Krishnaswamy was awarded "Mention in Dispatches" for his contribution. However, he did not see action during the 1971 war as he was sent to the United Kingdom to undergo an advanced test pilot's course at British Aerospace.

In his illustrious career Krishnaswamy has flown 30 varieties of aircraft and has a flying experience of more than 4,000 hours. "There is no limit to learning in flying. Test pilots talk of theory - combat pilots talk of practice," he observes. His assignments include flying damaged aircraft to bases for repair. He has also specialised in electronic warfare (E.W.) and has the unique distinction of having raised and commanded the IAF's first E.W. squadron, comprising of a mix of MiG-21s and Canberras. In those days, the MiGs' electronic equipment was of Swedish origin, while the Canberras' equipment was Italian.

Krishnaswamy was trained as a fighter combat leader, and he served as senior instructor at the Tactics and Combat Development and Training Establishment (TACDE). He has held a variety of operational and staff positions during the course of his career.

Both these highly decorated officers will be at the helm of affairs of their respective services at a critical time. The region is in turmoil as the United States continues its war on Afghanistan. There are reports that the Bush administration may approach India for permission to use its military bases.

Many pending military proposals could materialise after the two new chiefs assume charge. For the Navy, the purchase of a new aircraft carrier seems to be a priority. Although negotiations with the Russian government are at an advanced stage, indications are that the deal will be clinched only after intense negotiations. The IAF is in a similar situation in the matter of Advanced Jet Fighters (AJT). The IAF has been waiting for AJTs for quite some time. Air Marshal Krishnaswamy said that the delays in their acquisition were understandable given the practical constraints that were beyond the control of the government. Serious efforts were being made to expedite the AJT deal, he added.

As for the Navy, there are many from within its ranks who are questioning the rationale behind the decision to go in for an aircraft carrier of the size and cost of Gorshkov. The Indian Navy is traditionally split down the middle between those who favour submarines and those who swear by aircraft carriers. However, the fact remains that right now the Indian Navy has only one aircraft carrier - INS Viraat.