Uniform means Mission, Excellence, Integrity: Air Marshal S B Deo

* Out of the cockpit, I am a Government servant, says Air Marshal S B Deo, a Nagpurian, who is now Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Air Command, Indian Air Force

By Kartik Lokhande  He is one man who every Nagpurian should be proud of.
Blessed with unassuming personality, charming smile, contemplative face, brilliant mind, and kind-hearted, he is one of the top leaders of the Indian Air Force (IAF). Meet Air Marshal Shirish Baban Deo AVSM VM VSM, a Nagpurian, who has taken over as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) of Eastern Air Command of the IAF on the very first day of this year.

Air Marshal S B Deo (Pic by Umesh Varma/Moonlight)

A highly decorated officer, who has served as Director General (Operations) at Air Headquarters, Air Marshal S B Deo is a man with vision, mission, and deep attachment to his uniform. “For me, my uniform means Mission, Excellence, and Integrity. It instills in us a sense that we have got a job to do (Mission), that our output must be impeccable (Excellence), and also that we must accomplish the job with Integrity,” he said in an exclusive interview to ‘The Hitavada’ on Saturday.
The Mission could be operations or civic aid for an Air Warrior. Civic aid is a significant role of the IAF. Being the first responder, the IAF has been playing its part in offering aid to people stranded due to floods and natural disasters. “We have been offering our support routinely to people in inaccessible areas. In the cockpit, we, the IAF officers, are ace professional pilots; outside it, we are Government servants. It is our duty to help fellow countrymen,” he observed with a reflection of the sense of pride on his face.
Every Air Warrior, right from an officer to a crew member, has these values etched deep in heart while performing given duties. Everyone’s performance is critical to success of any mission, said the Air Marshal. Whenever an officer flying an aircraft gets a target, he can do it with precision. For, there go the efforts of the crew member sweeping the run-way, the technician checking all parameters of the flying machine, the doctor checking all vital health parameters of the flying officer, the cook offering appropriate food to the officer, and so on. After all these efforts by trained and qualified persons, an officer accomplishes the mission. “Sum of all wisdom is weapons on target,” he added with a smile.
But, despite these, there are incidents of human error. Yet, replied the AOC-in-C of Eastern Air Command with confidence, “Even statistics have proved that that the IAF has an enviable record compared to other air forces in the world, as far as accidents are concerned. For, we emphasise on training, communication, learning from mistakes of others, flight safety considerations, and also on Operational Risk Management (ORM)”. A regular review and assessment of the requiremments of the IAF, infrastructure, training module has helped the IAF in achieving man-machine synergy, he added.
Commissioned in the fighter stream of the IAF in 1979, Air Marshal Deo expressed happiness over adaptation of technology in younger generation. “Many young people are joining the IAF. With newer acquisitions, use of higher technology, new machine panel systems, requirement of skills also has gone up. Despite newer technologies, the IAF gives utmost importance to the man behind the machine. We have got certain benchmarks for the manpower, and these are never lowered,” he said. Of course, new infrastructure also was required and the Government cleared increase in infrastructure that would enable the IAF to train manpower in even better manner, observed the man who has done 3,855 hours of operational and training flying.
Air Marshal Deo has held various staff appointments and worked in Operations/Plans Directorates at Air Headquarters. He has been a witness to India transforming herself from being an Air Power to an Aerospace Power. “Yes. Being an Aerospace Power is absolutely essential. Since the collapse of the concept of Star Wars, the focus of all research shifted to Orbital and Sub-Orbital Weapons. All I can say is that India does not lag in this area. We have earned a significant position as an Aerospace Power,” said the seasoned Air Warrior in an impeccable English honed by years of hands-on experience of operations as well as strategic planning.
The IAF has been playing a key role in achieving better and effective co-ordination between civil and military aviation. The Air Marshal added, “Already, a document on flexible use of civil and military airspace has been promulgated. There is co-ordination between the IAF and Airports Authority of India.” India is coming of age in being self-reliant in defence production. According to Air Marshal S B Deo, who was actively involved in induction of modern assets and sensors in the IAF, the trade-off in ‘Make in India’ campaign launched recently by the Government of India would effect transfer of technology in a true sense. “The campaign is well worth it, and it augurs well for the requirements of the Services,” he said in an enthusiastic tone.
Conversation left a sweet taste in the mouth -- of talking to an accomplished Air Warrior on a wide range of issues related to India’s air defence. What marks Air Marshal Deo is his simplicity that defies his position. But what goes deeper in the mind is Air Marshal Deo’s savvy in latest technologies that are dominating air and aerospace defence of modern times.

The Nagpurian Officer
Air Marshal S B Deo is a Nagpurian. He was a student of Somalwar School. He is elder brother of Adv Rohit Deo, Assistant Solicitor General. The Air Marshal is married to Anjna. The couple has a son, who is a fighter pilot in the IAF.
Air Marshal Deo is a fighter Combat Leader and an ‘A2 Qualified Flying Instructor’. He has been a Directing Staff at TACDE and an Instructor at the Flying Instructors’ School, Air Force Station, Tambaram. He is also an alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. Air Marshal S B Deo was AOC 32 Wing, has commanded 15 Squadron and a Signal Unit, besides being the Chief Operations Officer of a front-line forward base. As Station Commander of the Signal Unit, he was actively involved in the induction of modern assets and sensors in IAF. Prior to taking over as AOC-in-C of Eastern Air Command, he was DG Air (Ops), AOC COBRA Group, AD Commander and Air-I at HQ CAC. He is a recipient of the Presidential awards of Ati Vishist Seva Medal, Vayu Sena Medal, and Vishist Seva Medal. He is an avid reader and is interested in creative writing and technology. 

(Published in 'The Hitavada' CityLine on January 11, 2015)