The Director General Air Operations (DGAO) is a senior appointment in the Indian Air Force. The DGAO is responsible for planning, executing, and overseeing all operational aspects of the Indian Air Force. The office is held by a three star officer in the rank of Air Marshal. The current DGAO is Air Marshal Joseph Suares who took over on 1 May 2026.
History At the time of independence of India, on 15 August 1947, Group Captain Mehar Singh was appointed the head of the operations directorate at Air headquarters and designated Group Captain (Operations).
Around 1962, the directorate was split into two separate entities: the Directorate of Transport & Maritime and the Directorate of Fighters & Bombers. In July 1970, a new post of Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Operations) (ACAS (Ops)) was created, with the rank of Air Vice Marshal. Directorates, including Air Defence, Offensive Operations, Transport & Maritime reported into the ACAS (Ops). In 2009, this role was elevated to three-star rank and re-designated Director General (Air Operations). Air Marshal Dinesh Chandra Kumaria took over as the first DGAO on 12 March 2009.
Appointees
S.No. Name Assumed office Left office Notes1Air Marshal Dinesh Chandra Kumaria 12 March 200930 June 2009Later served as Vice Chief of the Air Staff.2Air Marshal Anjan Gogoi 1 July 200931 December 2010Later served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief South Western Air Command.3Air Marshal Daljit Singh 1 January 2011 28 February 2013Later served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief South Western Air Command.4Air Marshal Shirish Baban Deo 1 March 2013 31 December 2014Later served as Vice Chief of the Air Staff.5Air Marshal Anil Khosla 12 January 2015 21 August 2016Later served as Vice Chief of the Air Staff.6Air Marshal Harjit Singh Arora 22 August 201630 September 2018Later served as Vice Chief of the Air Staff.7Air Marshal Amit Dev 1 October 201831 October 2018Later served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Air Command.8Air Marshal Balabhadra Radha Krishna 1 November 201830 June 2021Later served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Air Command.9Air Marshal Pankaj Mohan Sinha 1 July 202131 December 2022Later served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Air Command.10Air Marshal Surat Singh 1 January 202330 September 2024Later served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Air Command.11Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti 1 October 202431 May 2025Later Deputy Chief of the Air Staff.12Air Marshal George Thomas 1 June 202530 April 2026Current Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Air Command.13Air Marshal Joseph Suares 1 May 2026PresentCurrent DGAO.
See also Director General of Military Operations Director General Naval Operations
References