Air Commodore Jasjit Singh, AVSM, VrC, VM (8 July 1934 – 4 August 2013) was an Indian Air Force officer, writer and military strategist. In his military career, he was awarded the Vir Chakra during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He last served as the director of operations of the IAF.
Jasjit Singh | |
|---|---|
 Air Commodore Jasjit Singh | |
| Born | 8 July 1934 |
| Died | 4 August 2013 (aged 79) |
| Allegiance |  India |
| Service |  Indian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1956-1988 |
| Rank |  Air Commodore |
| Service number | 5100 |
| Unit | 3 Squadron |
| Commands | No.17 Squadron |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards |  Padma Bhushan Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Vir Chakra Vayu Sena Medal |
| Relations | Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh (son) |
He later headed the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses from 1987 to 2001 as its director. In 2001, he founded the think tank Centre for Air Power Studies in New Delhi and served as its director general till his death in 2013.[1]
Military career
editSingh was born on 8 July 1934. He was commissioned into the Indian Air Force on 1 April 1956. Selected into the fighter stream of the IAF, he trained as a fighter pilot. In the early years of his career, he served as a Flight Commander in an operational Squadron in the Eastern Sector in 1961-62. He later served as a flying instructor at the Flying Instructors School at Tambaram Air Force Station. He attended the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington in 1968.[2]
Vir Chakra
editDuring the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Singh was a part of No. 3 Squadron IAF. He was awarded the Vir Chakra for gallantry. The citation for the Vir Chakra reads as follows:[3]
Date of Award: 17-12-1971
CITATION
SQUADRON LEADER JASJIT SINGH
(5100) FLYING (PILOT)
During the operations against Pakistan in 1971, Squadron Leader Jasjit Singh flew a number of operational missions over heavily defended enemy areas. In spite of heavy ground opposition he pressed home his attacks and destroyed a number of enemy tanks, gun positions and bunkers. He also supervised the servicing of aircraft and thus ensured maximum serviceability of aircraft for operations.
Throughout, Squadron Leader Jasjit Singh displayed gallantry, professional skill and devotion to duty of a high order.
Post-war career
editOn 20 January 1975, Singh was appointed commanding officer of No. 17 Squadron IAF. After over two years in command of the squadron, he was promoted to the rank of Group Captain and moved to Air headquarters as the Director (Flight Safety). He subsequently served as the Director (Offensive Operations), and as Director (Air Induction), both at Air HQ.
Post-retirement
edit
Singh founded the Air Force think tank, Centre for Air Power Studies, and also remained longest continuously serving director of Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) from 1987 to 2001.[1][4][5]
In 2006, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan by Government of India.[6]
Bibliography
editSingh authored multiple books during his time heading the think tanks Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses and the Centre for Air Power Studies.
- Jasjit Singh (1987). AWACS, the new destabiliser. Lancer Press. ISBN 978-81-85096-01-8.
- Jasjit Singh (1988). Air Power in Modern Warfare. Lancer Publishers. ISBN 978-81-7062-047-1.
- Jasjit Singh (1989). Developments In Asia-Pacific Region. Lancer International. ISBN 978-81-7062-079-2.
- Jasjit Singh; Vatroslav Vekarić (1989). Non-provocative Defence: The Search for Equal Security. Lancer Publishers. ISBN 978-81-7062-080-8.
- Jasjit Singh (1990). India and Pakistan: Crisis of Relationship. Lancer Publishers. ISBN 978-81-7062-118-8.
- Jasjit Singh (1990). Superpower detente and future of Afghanistan. Published by Patriot Publishers on behalf of Indian Centre for Regional Affairs. ISBN 978-81-7050-119-0.
- Jasjit Singh (1991). Asian Security: Old Paradigms and New Challenges. Lancer Publishers. ISBN 978-81-7062-114-0.
- Jasjit Singh; Thomas Bernauer (1993). Security of Third World countries. Dartmouth.
- Jasjit Singh (1997). Bridges across the Indian Ocean. Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.
- Jasjit Singh (1998). Nuclear India. Knowledge World. ISBN 978-81-86019-11-5.
- Jasjit Singh (1999). Kargil 1999: Pakistan's Fourth War for Kashmir. Knowledge World. ISBN 978-81-86019-22-1.
- Jasjit Singh (2000). India's Defence Spending: Assessing Future Needs. Knowledge World. ISBN 978-81-86019-25-2.
- Pervaiz Iqbal Cheema; Jasjit Singh (2000). Defence Expenditure in South Asia: An Overview. Regional Centre for Strategic Studies. ISBN 978-955-8051-11-5.
- Jasjit Singh (2001). Reshaping Asian Security. Knowledge World. ISBN 978-81-87966-03-6.
- Jasjit Singh (2003). Air Power and Joint Operations. Knowledge World. ISBN 978-81-87966-17-3.
- Jasjit Singh (2004). Innovation and knowledge diffusion in the global economy: a thesis. Harvard University.
- Jasjit Singh (2007). Defence from the Skies. Knowledge World. ISBN 978-81-87966-51-7.
- Jasjit Singh (2009). Military Leadership for Tomorrow. KW Publishers Pvt Limited. ISBN 978-81-87966-58-6.
- Jasjit Singh (2009). Bharatiya Parmanu Shastra. Prabhat Prakashan. ISBN 978-81-7315-289-4.
- Jasjit Singh; Centre for Air Power Studies (New Delhi, India) (2012). Essays on China. KW Publishers. ISBN 978-93-81904-23-7.
References
edit- ^ a b "PM condoles Air Commodore Jasjit Singh's death, calls him inspirational military leader". Business Standard. IANS. 5 August 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ "Service Record for Air Commodore Jasjit Singh 5100 GD(P) at Bharat Rakshak.com". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ "Gallantry Awards | Ministry of Defence, Government of India". www.gallantryawards.gov.in. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ "Former Directors of IDSA". Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
- ^ "Strategic thinker Jasjit Singh passes away". DNA India. 4 August 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
- ^ "Padma Awards Directory (1954–2009)" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 May 2013.