Air Mshl Tejinder Singh Takes Over as CISC

Air Mshl Tejinder Singh took over as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) on July 1, 2026, at Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff. The appointment places him at the head of India's premier tri service coordination body, which sits under the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee and drives jointness across the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Air Mshl Tejinder Singh's Path to HQ IDS

He comes to the post from South Western Air Command, where he served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief. The South Western Air Command covers some of the country's most sensitive western airspace, and the appointment carries the weight of that command experience into a joint staff role.

His earlier assignments ran through the tri service structure already. He held Operational Staff at a Command headquarters, served as Air Commodore (Personnel Officers 1) at Air Headquarters, and was Deputy Assistant Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, Financial Planning, at HQ IDS itself, an appointment that gave him a working knowledge of the organisation he now leads.

Air Staff and Command Tenures

He also served as Air Commodore (Aerospace Safety) and held both Assistant Chief of Air Staff Operations (Offensive) and Operations (Strategy) at Air Headquarters. He was Senior Air Staff Officer at Eastern Air Command, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, and later commanded Training Command.

Fighter Stream Commission and Flying Record

He was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on June 13, 1987, and has since logged over 4,500 flying hours, holding a Category A Qualified Flying Instructor rating. Command experience on the ground matched the flying record. He has commanded a Fighter Squadron, a Radar Station and a premier Fighter Base, and served as Air Officer Commanding, Jammu and Kashmir.

National Defence Academy and Staff College Training

He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, the Defence Services Staff College and the National Defence College, the standard progression for officers who go on to hold senior joint appointments across the Indian Air Force.

Awards and Ceremonial Charge

His service record carries the Vayu Sena Medal, awarded in 2007, the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal from 2022 and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal conferred this year, in 2026. Three decorations across three decades track a career that moved from squadron command to the Air Force's senior ranks.

As he assumed the new appointment, Air Mshl Tejinder Singh laid a wreath at the National War Memorial in New Delhi and paid homage to personnel who died in service. He was accorded a ceremonial tri service Guard of Honour, the customary marker for an officer taking over a Principal Staff Officer level appointment at Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff.

The appointment was announced through a Ministry of Defence press release on the day he took over.