New Delhi: Air Marshal D Choudhury on December 16 took charge as Commandant of National Defence College from Vice Admiral Srikant in New Delhi.

Prior to this appointment, he was senior Air Staff Officer at the Headquarters of Western Air Command, New Delhi.

He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA) and was commissioned into the fighter stream of the India Air Force on December 22, 1983. The Air Marshal also an alumnus of the Royal College of Defence Studies, UK, Post Graduate in Strategy and International Security from King’s College London and also holds an M Phil degree in Defence and Strategic Studies.

He has a vast operational flying experience on all variants of the MiG-21, MiG-27, MiG-29 and Su-30 aircraft. He is a Fighter Combat Leader and Instrument Rating Examiner. He has commanded a frontline fighter Squadron and two frontline fighter bases apart from heading the prestigious Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment and the Composite Battle Response and Analysis (COBRA) Group.

He has been actively involved in planning and execution of air operations at Strategic, Operational and Tactical levels. He has held important appointments at the Air Headquarters and operational Command Headquarters.

The National Defence College, established on April 27, 1960, is a premier Institution under the Ministry of Defence and is the highest seat of Strategic Education of the Nation. It’s prestigious annual Course of 47 weeks duration on “National Security and Strategic Studies” is in great demand both nationally and internationally. Its present Alumni strength is nearly 4000 which includes Four Heads of State, numerous Chiefs of Armed Forces in India and abroad, substantial number of high ranking military and civilian officers, statesmen and public servants.