New Vice Chiefs of Army and Air Staff, new CISC take over on 1 July 2026
Lt Gen Sandeep Jain became Vice Chief of the Army Staff, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit Vice Chief of the Air Staff and Air Marshal Tejinder Singh CISC on 1 July 2026, while Lt Gen Mohit Malhotra took over the Jaipur-based South Western Command.
Summary
Lt Gen Sandeep Jain assumed the appointment of Vice Chief of the Army Staff on 1 July 2026; commissioned into the MAHAR Regiment in June 1988, he was earlier General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command. Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, an experimental test pilot commissioned into the IAF fighter stream in December 1986, took over as Vice Chief of the Air Staff the same day. Air Marshal Tejinder Singh, previously AOC-in-C of South Western Air Command, became Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC). Lt Gen Mohit Malhotra, commissioned into 47 Armoured Regiment, assumed command of the Jaipur-based South Western Command.
Key facts
- Vice Chief of the Army Staff
- Lt Gen Sandeep Jain (MAHAR Regiment; ex-GOC-in-C Southern Command)
- Vice Chief of the Air Staff
- Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit (experimental test pilot)
- CISC
- Air Marshal Tejinder Singh (ex-AOC-in-C South Western Air Command)
- South Western Command (Jaipur)
- Lt Gen Mohit Malhotra
Practice MCQs 3 questions
Who assumed the appointment of Vice Chief of the Army Staff on 1 July 2026?
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Correct answer: A — Lt Gen Sandeep Jain
Lt Gen Sandeep Jain, AVSM, SM assumed the appointment of VCOAS on 1 July 2026; he was earlier GOC-in-C, Southern Command.
Air Marshal Tejinder Singh took over as CISC on 1 July 2026. CISC stands for:
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Correct answer: B — Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee
Air Marshal Tejinder Singh took over as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC).
Lt Gen Mohit Malhotra assumed command of the South Western Command of the Indian Army on 1 July 2026. Where is this command based?
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Correct answer: A — Jaipur
The Ministry of Defence described it as the Jaipur based South Western Command.