Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit assumes charge as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) of the Indian Air Force on Wednesday, officials said. He succeeds Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor, who retired after superannuation on June 30 following about four decades of service. Dixit takes up the VCAS role at Vayu Bhawan, where he is given a guard of honour. Before the ceremony, he visits the National War Memorial and lays a wreath to pay tribute to fallen service personnel.

Prior to joining the IAF’s top leadership, Dixit served as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC) at the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS). He assumed the CISC appointment on May 1, 2025 and relinquished the position on June 30. Sources connected Dixit’s CISC tenure with the tri-service integration seen during Operation Sindoor, conducted in May 2025 after the Pahalgam terror attack, as well as related planning and institutional work described by HQ IDS.

According to a defence ministry statement cited in one report, Dixit is also a qualified flying instructor and experimental test pilot with more than 3,300 hours of flying experience. Officials said Air Marshal Tejinder Singh is set to take over as the next CISC.