BENGALURU: Air Marshal Seethepalli Shrinivas Thursday assumed charge as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) of the IAF Training Command headquartered in Bengaluru. After taking over, he paid homage to fallen personnel by laying a wreath at the Training Command War Memorial.An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Shrinivas was commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF on June 13, 1987. A Category A qualified flying instructor, he has more than 4,200 hours of flying experience on a wide range of aircraft, including the MiG-21, Iskra, Kiran, PC-7 Mk II, HPT-32 and microlight aircraft. He is also qualified as a second pilot on the Chetak and Cheetah helicopters and is a categorised operations officer on the Pechora missile system.
During a career spanning nearly four decades, he has held several key command and staff appointments. These include Commandant of the Air Force Academy, Air Officer Commanding of a frontline fighter base on the western border, and of a premier flying training base. He has also served as Air Officer Commanding, Advance Headquarters Western Air Command at Jaipur, Commanding Officer of the Flying Instructors’ School, Commandant of the Institute of Aerospace Safety, and Commanding Officer of the Basic Flying Training School. His staff roles have included Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Personnel Officers), Chief Instructor (Flying) at the Air Force Academy, operational staff at Headquarters Central Air Command, and directing staff at the College of Air Warfare. Prior to his present appointment, he served as Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters South Western Air Command.Air Marshal Shrinivas is a graduate of the National Defence College, College of Defence Management and Defence Services Staff College. His academic qualifications include an MPhil in Defence and Strategic Studies, a Master of Management Studies and an MSc in Defence and Strategic Studies.He was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal in 2017 and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2024 in recognition of his service.
