Senior Advisor
Professor M D Nalapat
Madhav Das Nalapat was appointed India’s first Professor of Geopolitics, Vice-Chair of the Manipal Advanced Research Group and UNESCO Peace Chair at the Department of Geopolitics and International Relations at Manipal University in 1999, and continues in both roles. He is the philosopher who has defined India’s new nationalism since the 1980’s, he believes in and promotes India as a Global Power. A former Editor of the Mathrubhumi Daily and later of The Times of India, He is the author of nine books, the latest being ” 75 Years of Indian Foreign Policy”. He is an expert on religious extremism, national security, foreign policy, political strategy and international affairs. Professor Nalapat is an analyst and commentator on geopolitical issues for global television channels and a contributor to the China Daily, Global Times, CNN Global Square, the Diplomat, The Pakistan Observer, Gateway House, Radio Free Europe, United Press International and many other publications. An Associate of the United Services Institution and the National Institute of Advanced Study, In his position as Editorial Director of the ITV Network, which inter alia publishes the Sunday Guardian and the NewsX channel, his analyses have been revelatory and have changed the course of events.
Senior Advisor
Rajiv Malhotra
Rajiv Malhotra was trained initially as a Physicist, and then as a Computer Scientist specializing in AI in the 1970s. After a successful corporate career in the US, he became an entrepreneur and founded and ran several IT companies in 20 countries. Since the early 1990s, as the founder of his non-profit Infinity Foundation (Princeton, USA), he has been researching civilizations and their engagement with technology from a historical, social sciences and mind sciences perspective. He is a researcher, author and speaker. He has authored several best-selling books, including his latest title – ‘Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Power’. Infinity Foundation has also published a 14-volume series on the History of Indian Science & Technology. To know more, visit, www.aiandpower.com. He also serves as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Center for Indic Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and is a visiting professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University. He is on the Advisory Board of the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Shimla.
Senior Advisor
Ambassador (Dr) Deepak Vohra
Ambassador Deepak Vohra is the Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, Lesotho, South Sudan and Guinea-Bissau and to Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils, Kargil and Leh. He is Hon Lt Gen of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army of South Sudan. AMB Vohra is from the Indian Foreign Service class of 1973. He studied at St Stephen’s College, National Defence College and Sorbonne University, Paris. He ranked first in School and college, in the Indian Foreign Service, at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration and at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade. AMB Vohra is one of India’s most loved television figures and has acted in commercial films. He has served in France, Vietnam, Tunisia, the United States, Nigeria, Cameroon, Benin, Chad, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Spain and as Ambassador of India to Armenia, Georgia, Sudan, South Sudan, Poland and Lithuania. He was an Officer on Special Duty to the Technology Advisor to the Prime Minister of India. He was with Sulabh International, the world’s largest NGO dealing with sanitation. AMB Vohra has authored many books. He is a specialist in the renaissance of nations. In October 2005, Armenia awarded him a gold medal and named a school after him. Sudan gave him its highest civilian honour and made him Prince of an African tribe in 2006. He has represented India at several conferences. In 2007, Ambassador Vohra offered himself in exchange for the release of oil workers held as hostages in Sudan. In 2014 he endangered his own life by helping Ebola-affected villagers in Guinea. He is an advisor to universities and companies in India and lectures regularly to national and international audiences (over 15 million have heard him so far). Ambassador Vohra speaks French, Spanish, Vietnamese, Arabic, Bahasa Melayu, Hausa, Motu and Armenian fluently.
Senior Advisor
Ambassador Anil Trigunayat (IFS Retd)
Ambassador is currently the Chairman of the Confederation of Education Excellence. An Indian diplomat for over three decades. Worked as Trade Commissioner in New York and Deputy Head of Mission in Sweden, Russia and Nigeria. He has also served as India’s Ambassador to Jordan, Libya and Malta. During his term in Nigeria and Libya, he was actively engaged in conflict management and assisted scores of stranded Indians during their trying times. Currently, he is a Member of the International Trade Council, Brussels, Governing/Advisory Council India-Italy Chamber of Commerce &Industry, CII-Confederation of Indian Industries, Asia Africa Chamber &BRICS Chamber of Commerce and on the board of Raisina House, USANAS Foundation and India-Japan Foundation (Think Tanks). He is also the Secretary of the Association of Indian Diplomats (former Ambassadors), Peaceful Mind Foundation and Non-Executive Chairman of Atmanirbhar Global Chamber of Commerce & Industry (www.agcciindia.com) and President of Millennial India International Chamber of Commerce, Industry &Agriculture, New Delhi India (www.miiccia.com). He is a Distinguished Fellow &Head, of West Asia Experts Group, Vivekananda International Foundation leading Think Tank www.vifindia.org, Visiting Fellow @Nepali Think Tanks AIDIA and NIICE and Adviser, National Cooperatives Development Corporation {www.ncdc.in}. He is a Peace Ambassador @ unity.earth Australia, an Oxford Alumni, Rotarian and a TEDx Speaker.
Senior Advisor
Vice Admiral B Kannan VSM, AVSM, PVSM (Retd, Indian Navy)
Vice Admiral B Kannan (Retd) completed his BE in Electronics Engineering from the College of Engineering, Trivandrum in 1973, whereafter he joined the Indian Navy. He subsequently did his MTech from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai and his MBA from Jamanalal Bajaj Institute, Mumbai. He held many challenging appointments in the Indian Navy, including that of Programme Director of India’s Nuclear Submarine Programme for nearly 04 years, during which INS Arihant was launched. He retired from the Apex post of “Chief of Materiel” for Technical Officers in the Indian Navy. During his 40 years of Naval Service, he was conferred with three Presidential Awards, viz VSM, AVSM and PVSM for his distinguished service. After retirement, he worked in the corporate sector as Managing Director & CEO of Larsen & Toubro’s Shipbuilding Company in Chennai for 05 years.
Senior Advisor
Vice Admiral MP Muralidharan, AVSM & Bar, NM (Retd, Indian Navy)
Vice Admiral M P Muralidharan is the former Director-General Indian Coast Guard and a former Member of the Armed Forces Tribunal. He is the first commandant of the Indian Naval Academy and was Chief of Personnel at Naval Headquarters, New Delhi. He was also the Chairman of the Offshore Security Coordination Committee (OSCC), National Oil Spill and Disaster Contingency Plan (NOSDCP) and National Maritime Search and Rescue (NM-SAR) Board. He has been a contributor to Armed Forces journals and periodicals and has been a speaker and panellist at various Seminars and Conferences. These include the National Defence College, New Delhi, College of Defence Management, Secunderabad and National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi. He is also a member of various strategic study societies and institutions such as the National Maritime Foundation, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses and United Service Institution of India. Presently he is the President of the Navy Foundation, Kerala Chapter. Admiral was awarded the Ati Vishist Seva Medal (AVSM) twice by the President of India and is also a recipient of the Nao Sena Medal (NM). Apart from commanding numerous warships, he was Fleet Operations Officer of the Western Fleet, Mumbai and Principal Director of Naval Operations at the Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence (Navy). He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Directing Staff at Defence Services Staff College (Wellington) and was Naval Attaché, at the Embassy of India, Moscow.
Senior Advisor
Lieutenant General K J SINGH, PVSM, BAR TO AVSM (Retd, Indian Army)
Lieutenant General KJ Singh superannuated in August 2016 after 39 years of distinguished service. He is an alumnus of NDA and IMA. The General Officer commanded formidable Western Command, an operationally committed Corps in North East having borders with four countries, an Armoured Division in the Strike Corps, a T-90 Armoured Brigade and an elite Armoured Regiment, 63 Cavalry. He was Colonel of seven armoured regiments. He is currently holding the prestigious Ranjit Singh Chair of Excellence at the Punjab University, Chandigarh. General has served in Counter Insurgency areas (Nagaland, Manipur, Assam, Arunachal, J&K and Punjab), Assam Rifles and with the United Nations Peace Keeping Force in Angola. In his UN tenure, he served as the Chief Operations Officer and Team Commander for which he was awarded the Chief of Army Staff Commendation and UN Force Commanders Citation for bravery. The General officer has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Bar to Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal. The General officer has held key operational staff appointments at important formation HQs and Army HQs in Perspective Planning, Capability building and HRD. He has been on the faculty of the Army War College, School of Armoured Warfare and Centre for UN Peacekeeping. Besides serving in remote areas of India, he has participated in defence diplomacy in twenty countries. M.Phil (Defence Studies), M.Phil (Strategic Studies), MBA, M.Sc (Defence Studies), PGDCA and Diploma in Labour Law and Human Rights. Post-retirement he was Advisor to CM Haryana and is currently the State Information Commissioner of Haryana. He is also a member of the Chandigarh Advisory Council.
Senior Advisor
Lieutenant General Deependra Singh Hooda, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM & Bar, ADC (Retd, Indian Army)
Lt Gen Deependra Singh Hooda was commissioned into the 4th Battalion of the 4th Gorkha Rifles on 15 Dec 1976. He attended the prestigious Command and Staff College in Canada and was selected as the first Chief Logistics Officer for the newly raised United Nations Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea. During the massive earthquake in Jammu and Kashmir in 2005, he led the military’s rescue and relief efforts in the Uri sector. As a major general in Manipur, he was responsible for counterinsurgency operations in Manipur and South Assam. From 2012 to 2016, he was stationed in Jammu and Kashmir, first as a Corps commander and then as the Army Commander of the Northern Command. In this assignment, he handled numerous strategic challenges along the borders both with Pakistan and China. He planned and supervised the successful “surgical strikes” in Pakistan in September 2016. He retired in November 2016 after 40 years of service in the Army. After his retirement, Gen Hooda has commented and written extensively on geopolitical, strategic, and national security issues. In recognition of his exemplary military service, has been awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal twice, the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal.
Senior Advisor
Lieutenant General A B Shivane PVSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd, Indian Army)
Lieutenant General Ashok Bhim Shivane, is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Pune. A scholar, and warrior with over 39 years plus of an unblemished and outstanding career in the Indian Army. He has represented India at the United Nations Peace Keeping Force in Guatemala, was in charge of anti-terrorist operations in J&K from 1997 to 1999, was in charge of Perspective Planning and Future Restructuring of the Indian Army and finally the coveted appointment of Director General Mechanised Forces of Indian Army. He commanded the elite Strike Corps at Mathura from 2014 to 2015. He was awarded by the President of India, PVSM (2017), AVSM (2016), & VSM (2009) for distinguished service of the highest order. Subsequently, he was bestowed the rare honour of being nominated as Honorary Aide-de-Camp to the President of India in July 2017. The General is a renowned national and international speaker on leadership, counter-terrorism, motivational talks, geostrategy, geopolitics, national security, space capability building, defence capability building and ‘make in India’, military technology and international relations. He has several publications in reputed Defence Journals, Think Tanks and newspapers. He has also chaired and been a keynote speaker at several international and national seminars including Chairman of the Indo-Russian Land System Conference. He is an acclaimed defence analyst and has several publications to his credit including a recent book/research paper released by the Rajya Raksha Mantri. General Shivane was also a Consultant to the Ministry of Defence (Ordnance Factory Board) from 2018 to 2020.
Senior Advisor
Lieutenant General Shokin Chauhan, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM, PhD (Retd, Indian Army)
Lt Gen Shokin Chauhan is the former Director-General of Assam Rifles. Post-retirement, he assumed the coveted appointment as the Chairman of the ‘Cease-Fire Monitoring Group’, North East and Nagaland. General is an alumnus of St Columba’s High School, New Delhi, NDA, Defence Services Staff College, the Army War College and the prestigious National Defence College. The General was commissioned into the Indian Army (11 Gorkha Rifles) in December 1979. Before he was appointed the DGAR, the General had commanded 1 Corps, the Indian Army’s oldest and largest Strike Corps, the 8 Mountain Divisions in Western Ladakh, and 70 Mountain Brigades both in South Kashmir and in Eastern Ladakh. He holds his PhD degree from Panjab University, Chandigarh. He has served in both the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Home Affairs. He is the former Defence Attaché at the Indian Embassy in Nepal. He has led a large number of Indian Military delegations to various international military forums like the United States Pacific Command, Hawaii, Israel, Italy, South Africa, Botswana, China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. He regularly contributes to various scholarly magazines and is associated with IDSA, the National Defence College, the Defence Services Staff College, the Army War College, the Officers Training Academy, the Armoured Corps Centre and School, the Military Intelligence School, United Service Institute, the FICCI, the India Foundation, Chanakya Institute, the National Security Guard and a host of other important Strategic Forums. The General has been awarded five Presidential awards including the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM), the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), the Yudh Seva Medal (YSM), the Sena Medal (SM) and the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) for distinguished service and outstanding leadership and gallantry in both operations and distinguished service in India & abroad. The General is at present working on a comprehensive book on the “Strategic Relations between India and Nepal”.
Senior Advisor
Lieutenant General PJS Pannu, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, (Retd, Indian Army)
Lt Gen PJS Pannu is the Chairman, FICCI Task Force on ICT modernisation for Defence. He is a Senior Advisor to Space SIA (SatCom Industries Association) and Chairman Defence Space Committee at SIA. He is also a board member of STAIRS (Society for Transformation, Inclusion and Recognition through Sports). General is the Former Deputy Chief IDS (Operations), responsible for coordinating the Joint Operations of the Army, Navy and Air Force. Had the privilege of raising Defence Space Agency, Defence Cyber Agency and Special Forces Division. As the Former Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Services (DOT), he was also responsible for overseeing institutions like the College of Defence Management, Defence Services Staff College, Military Institute of Technology, National Defence Academy and School of foreign Languages. He was instrumental in developing doctrines and strategies while in service. He has been to two UN missions, Mozambique and Sudan both as Chief Operations Officer while in service. He is a regular speaker at the LBSNAA Mussoorie and Institutions of national repute. He is the head of the Military History and Strategy vertical of Valley of Words. A distinguished fellow of the USI (India). He was the Chairman of the Executive Committee of CENJOWS (Centre for Joint Warfare Studies). He is pursuing a his Doctorate at Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University.
Senior Advisor
Major General Krishan Chauhan, AMC, SDMC MBBS, MD, FIPHA (Retd, Indian Army)
General Krishan Chauhan graduated in medicine from IGMC, Shimla and did his MD in Preventive and Social Medicine from Pune University. He is a fellow of the Indian Public Health Association and an AMC officer who has done SDMC. As a Colonel, he was appointed as Director of Health in the office of the DGMS Army. During his tenure of over five years, a large number of medical policies were formulated and implemented. He was part of core groups in establishing ECHS and ACMS Delhi. He obtained government approval for advanced service personnel to undergo heart and kidney surgery in private hospitals. He arranged the first Indo-US military medical exchange programme at Leh and later led a delegation to Pacific Command, Hawaii. As a Brigadier, he served in Northern Command and later as Commandant M H Bareilly. Promoted as Maj General, he served first as Addl DGMS IS, H and PS and later as Addl DGMS Army. He coordinated with Dr Reddy’s lab to conduct soft skills training modules for AMC officers, Nurses and paramedics. After retirement, he worked as a professor in medical colleges. Now, he has taken to writing blogs, articles and short stories. His passion is running half and full marathons.
Senior Advisor
Rear Admiral Sailendran Madhusudanan (Retd, Indian Navy)
Rear Admiral Sailendran Madhusudanan is a specialised marine engineer with 35 years of professional experience in the Indian Navy, with his master’s degree in Defence Studies from the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. He has done his advanced training at Royal Naval Establishments in the UK. He was heading the Warship Overseeing Team Mazagon Docks Ltd Mumbai, Engineering Lead at the Refit Monitoring Team at Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth, United Kingdom, the Warship Production Superintendent at Sevmash Shipyard, Severodvinsk, Russia and a member of the Project Team for the Carrier under construction at the Cochin Shipyard Ltd. He was also associated with contract negotiations and contract formulations of the Russian acquisition, INS Vikramaditya. He is the first Admiral Superintendent of the Naval Ship Repair Yard, Kochi. Currently, he is the Managing Partner of S3M Innotech Consultancy and Director (Tech) of Sea Syst Engineering (I)Pvt Ltd, Navi Mumbai. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Marine Engineers (India) and a founding member of the Defence Innovators and Industry Association.
Senior Advisor
Maj Gen Neeraj Bali, SM (Retd, Indian Army)
Maj Gen Neeraj Bali, Sena Medal, is the founder of LeadScape Advisors, a consulting firm focused on Leadership Training and Mentoring. He was in the Indian Army for 41 years and got superannuated in April 2016. During his illustrious career, he has served J&K for ten years. He has commanded the most successful anti-terrorist battalion, the Rashtriya Rifles Battalion in the J&K valley. He was awarded the Sena Medal for gallantry and the COAS Commendation twice. He was also involved in anti-terrorist operations against ULFA militants in Assam. He participated in the first Indo-US exercise and was a mentor to both the US and the Indian brigades. He has served at Lesotho, as a Security Advisor to the Government and as the Leader of the Indian Army Training Team. He has held the prestigious appointment of GOC Dakshin Maharashtra. He was a directing staff at the Infantry School at Mhow, the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington and the Army War College at Mhow. He is a visiting faculty at the Institute for Competitive Intelligence in Germany. Post-retirement, he was CEO of Pravara Rural Education Society which ran 92 schools and colleges in Maharashtra. He was also the CEO of Rodic Consultants Private Limited. He has an M.Sc and an M Phil degree in Defence Studies. He has been to the Asia Pacific Centre of Security Studies, in the USA for attending programs. He has delivered many sessions at IIM Ahmedabad, XLRI Jamshedpur, at conferences in the US, Germany and Portugal, the CXO conference of Tata Group, Wipro, Kirloskar Brothers, MDI and at summits of ICAI. He is a qualified Corporate Director, a certified Lead Auditor for ISO 45001 and an ICF-certified Life and Leadership Coach.
Senior Advisor
Major General Jacob Tharakan Chacko SM (Retd, Indian Army)
Major General Jacob Tharakan Chacko, General Officer, with thirty-six years of service in the Indian Army. During his tenure, he was Colonel Commandant (Mentor) at the Army Ordnance Corps and Chairman of the Army Institute of Law at Mohali. He possesses vast experience and knowledge in Military Logistics. He was also the Chairman of the Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre, Mohali. He is an Author, Blogger, Facilitator and Organisational Synergiser. Currently, he is a member of the State Managing Committee, Amalgamated Fund for Rehabilitation of Ex-servicemen, Government of Kerala.
Senior Advisor
Rear Admiral Sudhir Pillai SM (Retd, Indian Navy)
Rear Admiral Sudhir Pillai is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy. He is a Fellow of the Asia Pacific Centre for Security Studies, and a graduate of the DSSC, College of Naval Warfare and the National Defence College. He is a Naval Aviator and Qualified Flying Instructor of Chetak and Seaking helicopters operating from ashore and afloat. He has commanded CG IPV Ganga Devi, the Seaking 42C Marine Commando Flight, IN Frigate Udaygiri, Guided Missile Destroyers Ranjit and Mysore and the Naval Air Station Garuda. He was Director of Naval Air Staff at IHQ and Chief Staff Officer (Air) at HQ Naval Aviation. He has served as Flag Officer of Naval Aviation, concurrently holding charge as the Flag Officer Commanding Goa Naval Area. Later he was the Chief of Staff of HQ Andaman and Nicobar Command and Chief Instructor (Navy) at DSSC, Wellington. He was affiliated with the Capital Project Review Committee (CPRC) under the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) and was an Adjunct Faculty at the National Institute of Advanced Studies. His joint-service experience has been of value, as India seeks closer integration of the Armed Forces and the civil-military interface. He has engaged with academia in seminars, and universities, at the Naval War College, and, has written variously on military, maritime and aviation issues. His focus areas have been on acquisition and indigenisation strategies, technological complexity, joint/integrated command, control and organisational design.
Senior Advisor
Major General Rajan Kochhar VSM, PhD (Retd, Indian Army)
Major General Rajan Kochhar, VSM, PhD is a former MGAOC Central Command and Arbitrator with the Ministry of Defence. He is an alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College and College of Defence Management. He has commanded key logistics units of the Indian Army and done active service in operational areas of Jammu Kashmir and the Northeast. He has also been an Instructor at the College of Materials Management, Jabalpur and Aide-de-Camp to the Governor of Tamil Nadu. He holds a doctorate in Emotional Intelligence and is a reputed expert on military logistics and supply chain management. He also holds post-graduate degrees in MBA, Master of Management Studies and MSc (Defence Studies). He has been a Dean of the Noida Institute of Engineering and Technology and is a visiting faculty with Officers Training College, Lucknow. He is a prolific writer and defence analyst and is presently associated with the Economic Times Government’ as a regular contributor to articles on National Security issues. He has authored four books and is a regular invitee as an expert commentator on various national news TV channels. He is a distinguished member of the ‘Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses’ and ‘The Society of Aerospace Maritime and Defence Studies (SAMDES). He is the recipient of the Vishisht Seva Medal awarded by the President of India. He has also been awarded the Army Commanders Commendation twice. His focus areas have been on defence procurement, ‘Make in India’ strategies, operational logistics, competing technologies and the defence security environment. He is a former Dean of NIET and now is a faculty with them. He is now an NLP Coach practitioner.
Senior Advisor
Air Vice-Marshal Sudhanshu Saxena VSM (Retd, Indian Air Force)
Air Vice-Marshal Sudhanshu Saxena with 35 years of professional experience retired as Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Weapons) at Air HQ. He has held various appointments at operational units, Command Headquarters, Air Headquarters as well as at DRDO. He is a recipient of the Vishisht Seva Medal. He was the Head of Faculty (Air) at the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (Deemed University) Pune and commanded the premier Air Armament unit of IAF. Vice Marshal has also served as Principal Director of Engineering at Air Headquarters and has wide experience in the field of Quality assurance and implementation. He also had a tenure as Principal Director of Maintenance Inspection at the Director General (Inspection & Safety) branch of IAF. He is a qualified auditor for Aerospace Standard AS 9100 through the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG). During his stint in the Inspection branch, he conducted a Quality audit of various HAL divisions and repair depots of IAF which resulted in systemic improvement in the processes being followed at these establishments. Owing to his large experience in the field of Air Armament, presently AVM Saxena is engaged as a Consultant to the Ordnance Factory Board Min of Defence for providing advice on various development cum production projects primarily for use of IAF. He is actively coordinating various projects with Air HQ, DRDO labs and foreign OEMs to enhance self-reliance in this area. He has a full understanding of the operational requirements of the IAF which helps him in focusing the priorities of various Ordnance factories. AVM Saxena has also been associated with the organisation of various International Conferences and also presented many papers. He had various professional assignments in Germany, France, Bulgaria and Belgium. He is a qualified Independent Director from MDI Gurugram and is on a panel of the Institute of Corporate Affairs. He is a regular speaker at various educational institutions and professional bodies.
Senior Advisor
Air Vice-Marshal Suryakant Chafekar AVSM, Shaurya Chakra,(Retd, Indian Air Force)
AVM Suryakant Chafekar AVSM, Shaurya Chakra retired as Senior Air and Administration Staff Officer of Maintenance Command. He was commissioned in the Transport stream with more than 7000 hrs of flying on various types of aircraft. The Air Officer is an alumnus of Defence Service Staff College, Wellington. He is a qualified Flying instructor with over 3500 instructional hrs to his credit. He is an expert in Air Maintenance with a specialisation in the Himalayan region. He has executed trial Landings on An-32 aircraft at High Altitude Advance Landing Grounds (ALGs) like Daulat Beg Oldie (the World’s highest Airstrip at an elevation of 16700 feet.), Nyoma (Elevation of 13500 feet ) and Fukche (Elevation of 14300 feet). Under his able leadership succour was provided to the needy during the Uttarakhand flood relief and Yemen Evacuation. He was at the forefront of the induction of C-17 (Globemaster) and C-130 (Super Hercules) aircraft in IAF. He commanded a transport squadron at Chandigarh and was the Air Officer Commanding Air Force Station Chandigarh. He was the Chief Operational Officer of Agra, the largest Base in IAF. He held various Operational appointments at Air Headquarters. The Air Officer was awarded Shaurya Chakra a gallantry award by the President of India in recognition of his Professional Courage in the conduct of a trial landing at the Daulat Beg Oldie airstrip close to the China border and was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal for Distinguished Devotion to Duty. He has contributed immensely to Kargil Operations. He is a Defence analyst and his articles are published in Newspapers regularly.
Senior Advisor
Prof Shiban K Koul
Shiban K Koul is currently an Emeritus Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. He served as Deputy Director (Strategy and Planning) at IIT Delhi from 2012 to 2016 and as Mentor Deputy Director (Strategy & Planning, International Affairs) at IIT Jammu from 2018 to 2020. He also served as the Chairman of Astra Microwave Products Limited, Hyderabad from 2009 to 2019 and Dr R P Shenoy Astra Microwave Chair Professor at IIT Delhi from 2014 to 2019. His research interests include RF, MEMS, high-frequency wireless communication, microwave engineering, microwave passive and active circuits, device modelling, millimetre and sub-millimetre wave IC design, body area networks, and flexible and wearable electronics and reconfigurable microwave circuits including miniaturized antennas. Completed 38 major sponsored projects, 52 consultancy projects and 61 technology development projects. He has authored/co-authored 514 research papers, 15 state-of-the-art books, 4 book chapters and 2 e-books. He holds 22 patents, 6 copyrights and one trademark. He has guided 26 PhD theses and more than 110 master’s theses. He is a Life Fellow of IEEE and a Fellow of INAE and IETE. He is the Chief Editor of the IETE Journal of Research and Associate Editor of the International Journal of Microwave and Wireless Technologies, Cambridge University Press. He served as a Distinguished Microwave Lecturer of the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S) for the period 2012 to 2014. Recipient of numerous awards including IEEE MTT Society Distinguished Educator Award (2014); Teaching Excellence Award (2012) from IIT Delhi; Indian National Science Academy (INSA) Young Scientist Award (1986); Top Invention Award (1991) of the National Research Development Council for his contributions to the indigenous development of ferrite phase shifter technology; VASVIK Award (1994) for the development of Ka-band components and phase shifters; Ram Lal Wadhwa Gold Medal (1995) from the Institution of Electronics and Communication Engineers (IETE); Academic Excellence Award (1998) from Indian Government for his pioneering contributions to phase control modules for Rajendra Radar, Shri Om Prakash Bhasin Award (2009) in the field of Electronics and Information Technology, VASVIK Award (2012) for the contributions made to the area of Information, Communication Technology (ICT) and M N Saha Memorial Award (2013) from IETE.
Senior Advisor
Maj Gen Manoj Kumar Bindal, VSM (Retd, Indian Army)
Former Executive Director, National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM). He was commissioned into the Corps of Army Air Defence in December 1985. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, General M. K. Bindal is a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College and has attended the prestigious Higher Command Course at the Army War College. He holds a Masters Degree in Defence and Strategic Studies as well as MPhil in Defence and Management Studies. During his three and a half decades of service, he was General Officer Commanding a sensitive Sub Area in the North East, wherein he looked after operational equipment deployed in operations in the field, management of logistics and administrative functions of the units deployed in North East India. He was posted as Deputy Director-General in the Directorate of Army Air Defence, where he was dealing with operations, Training, Air Defence Control & Reporting and Air Intelligence issues. As a Weapons & Equipment Expert, is specialise in managing the complete lifecycle, training and deployment of all Army Air Defence Radars, Surface to Air Missiles, Anti-Aircraft Guns, Communication Equipment, Specialist Vehicles and Small Arms. As Director of the Centre for United Nations Peace Keeping (CUNPK), he was responsible for the training and administration of United Nations Peace Keeping Contingents including foreign officers in India and abroad. As Secretary of the International Association of Peace Keeping Training Centres (IAPTC), he has coordinated joint training and conducted seminars in different countries. He was deputed to Mozambique as a UN Peacekeeper. He has authored several books and research papers on subjects related to Disaster Management, Climate Change and the Environment. He is an Advisor to the Gyan Deesha Foundation (GDF), a not-for-profit organization with a vision to create a “Culture of Excellence and Quality Benchmarks” in Educational Institutions.
