Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia has taken over as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Air Command (EAC) of the Indian Air Force (IAF). An alumnus of the National Defense Academy, he was commissioned into the Fighter stream of the IAF on June 11, 1988, and is highly skilled, being qualified on all variants of MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-27, Jaguar, and Su-30 MKI aircraft. Over his distinguished career spanning more than 30 years, he has accumulated over 3200 hours of accident-free flying and has held various significant Command and Staff appointments.
He has commanded a MiG-27 Squadron, led the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE), and served as the Air Officer Commanding of a frontline base. His qualifications include being a Fighter Strike Leader and an Instrument Rating Instructor & Examiner (IRIE). He has also furthered his education by completing the Advance Command & Staff Course in the UK and attending the National Defense College in Bangladesh.
In addition to operational roles, Air Marshal Walia has served as a Defense Attache at the Indian Embassies in Japan and South Korea and held key positions such as Air Commodore at the Directorate of Air Staff Inspection (DASI) and Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Training) at Air Headquarters. Before his current appointment as AOC-in-C, EAC, he was the Senior Air Staff Officer at HQ EAC. His service has been recognized with prestigious awards, including the Vayu Sena Medal (VM) in 2008 and the Ati Vishisht Sena Medal (AVSM) in 2018. Air Marshal Walia succeeds Air Marshal Surat Singh, who superannuated on January 31, 2026, after an impressive 39 years of service to the nation.