Accomplished air warfare tactician is the new head of IAF's Western Command

Air Marshal B Suresh, an accomplished tactician in air warfare who led the development of the IAF's templates for Beyond Visual Range (BVR) warfare on November 1 took over as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Air Command, the IAF's most critical operational formation.

He succeeds Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar, who retired from service on October 31.

A press release by the Western Air Command described Air Marshal Suresh as a "widely acclaimed as a strategist and tactician of repute within Air Force circles" who "as the Exercise Director, he is credited with having been the mastermind behind IAF's superlative performance during Exercise Cope India 2004 - the first international bilateral exercise with the United States Air Force held after a gap of nearly 40 years".

A press release by the Western Air Command described Air Marshal Suresh as a "widely acclaimed as a strategist and tactician of repute within Air Force circles" who "as the Exercise Director, he is credited with having been the mastermind behind IAF's superlative performance during Exercise Cope India 2004 - the first international bilateral exercise with the United States Air Force held after a gap of nearly 40 years"

"The role played by the Air Officer in elevating IAF's status internationally was recognized by awarding him the presidential award of Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) and he thus became one of the youngest recipients of this Presidential Award as a Group Captain," the press release elaborated.

"He is a 'Jam Sataji Sword of Honour' awardee from the prestigious 'Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment' (TACDE) - IAF's premier institution that develops comprehensive offensive/defensive combat tactics to be adopted by all components of air power in war. He has done three tenures at TACDE with the last being as the Commandant of the Establishment during which time, the 'Beyond Visual Range' Air-to-Air Missile tactics were developed," the press release stated.

"The role played by the Air Officer in elevating IAF's status internationally was recognized by awarding him the presidential award of Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) and he thus became one of the youngest recipients of this Presidential Award as a Group Captain," the press release elaborated

He also commanded a fighter squadron earmarked for a maritime strike role, and one of the largest airbases in the Western sector.

The statement elaborated on "the remarkable improvements in the operational orientation and battle readiness of the command with increased synergy with the three associated commands of the Indian Army viz - Northern Command, Western Command and South Western Command" during his appointment as Senior Air Staff Officer of the Western Air Command in 2014.

Before taking over as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Western Air Command, he was appointed as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Air Command from August 2018.