Air Marshal Ravi Gopal Krishana Kapoor was appointed the 13th Commander-in-Chief of Strategic Forces Command (C-in-C SFC) effective 1 April 2022, replacing Vice-Admiral Ravindra Bhartruhari Pandit, who served for less than seven months.
In fact, Ravindra’s appointment was a rather hushed affair in the mainstream media, with a timid announcement and brief mention in a Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) newsletter from earlier this year. Why the succession of Air Marshal Rajesh Kumar was kept “under wraps” remains a mystery. Ravi’s appointment resumes Indian Air Force’s hold over the SFC.
This succession comes amidst the absence of a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), indicating that the nomination came after the political leadership consulted with General Manoj Mukund Naravane, outgoing Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CCoSC). Manoj himself has a strong likelihood of being elevated to CDS once his tenure at Army Headquarters comes to an end.
Profile
Air Marshal Ravi was commissioned as a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF) on 7 June 1986. He is an A2 (Fixed Wing) Qualified Flying Instructor and graduate of Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, Tamil Nadu.
As a Flight Lieutenant, he received a commendation from Air-Officer-Commanding (AOC) of Western Air Command (WAC) in 1992. As Squadron Leader (1996-98), he served as a Flying Instructor at Flying Instructors School in Tambaram, Tamil Nadu. The institute provides air and ground training to members of the Indian Armed Forces and personnel from friendly countries. For his achievements during this tenure, he received a commendation from the Chief of Air Staff (1996).
As Wing Commander, he raised and commanded the now-disbanded MiG Operational Flying Training Unit (MOFTU) Aggressor Squadron in Chabua, Assam. Ravi headed the unit during peacetime when its role was to execute flight training for pilots on the MiG-21FL. He would later serve as Chief Instructor (Flying) at the Air Force Academy, Dundigal, Telangana, in the same rank (2008) and also for an additional term upon promotion to Group Captain (2008-09). He trained cadets from the Indian Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard in the three stages of flight training, including later specialisation in fighter aircraft, helicopters and transport aircraft.
Ravi held a press conference a day before Abhinandan’s release and claimed that the Pakistan Air Force F-16 jet was downed by them, a claim proven false by US authorities.
As Air Commodore, Ravi was the AOC of 9 Wing, Halwara, Punjab (2012-14). It has served as a frontline base for offensive operations against Pakistan, including the Kargil War. Ravi’s tenure (2012-14) saw the resurrection of 220 Squadron (Desert Tigers) with the induction of Su-30MKI aircraft. Before being disbanded, 220 Squadron flew MiG-23 BN “swing-wing” ground and air attack aircraft. Halwara (9 Wing) holds the distinction of hosting the first Su-30MKI squadron in WAC.
A year later, he was appointed Air Attaché at the Embassy of India in the US (2015), a year which was widely described as “transformative” for Indo-US relations; Barack Obama became the first US President to attend India’s Republic Day Parade, both sides launched a Strategic and Commercial Dialogue and renewed the India-US Defence Partnership Agreement for ten years. On his return to India, Ravi led the Air Force Component in Exercise Indra 2017. This was the first iteration of Exercise Indra that involved the participation of all armed forces and was held in Russia’s Eastern Military District.
Upon promotion to Air Vice Marshal rank, Ravi served as Commodore Commandant of No 15 Squadron (Flying Lancers) headquartered in Sirsa, Haryana, before moving to Air Headquarters in New Delhi as Assistant Chief of Air Staff Operations (Space). In this capacity, he was responsible for liaising with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and DRDO on managing the IAF’s space-based assets, including military satellites. He also signed an agreement with ISRO to train IAF personnel for future space missions.
It was also during this tenure that India provoked a conflict in early 2019 that could have led to war with Pakistan. Briefing the media on 27 February 2019, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson claimed that India had targeted a “militant training camp” in Pakistan in which a fighter and his plane were downed. Ravi was sitting alongside the spokesperson during the briefing. The pilot was later identified as Abhinandan Varthaman, then a Wing Commander. Ravi held a press conference a day before Abhinandan’s release and claimed that the Pakistan Air Force F-16 jet was downed by them, a claim proven false by US authorities. After Pakistan handed Abhinandan over to India, Ravi was among the officials who received him. A month later, Ravi repeated the claim of downing a Pakistani jet, albeit in a more restricted manner.
In June 2019, Ravi was shuffled within Air Headquarters to Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Intelligence) for two years. He later moved to Central Air Command (CAC), headquartered in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, as Air Defence Commander for a brief period of three months (July-October 2021). Thereafter, on promotion to Air Marshal rank in late October 2021, he was retained in CAC as Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO).
Appointment as C-in-C SFC
As far as known operational and command experience is concerned, Air Marshal Ravi Gopal Krishana Kapoor served mostly in the western sector, overlooking Pakistan.
At CAC, Ravi was also overall supervisor of Gwalior/Maharajpur and Gorakhpur Air Force Stations, believed to have squadrons authorised for nuclear strike missions, per a report by Harvard Belfer Centre.
The recent purported “accidental firing” of a BrahMos cruise missile inside Pakistan raised legitimate concerns about the integrity of India’s Command and Control structure. Certain Indian defence analysts asserted that the BrahMos firing may have been an air-launched variant fired from a jet and not a ground-launched version. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also hinted at the possibility of “human error”, thus lending weight to held beliefs that the firing may have been deliberate.
Foregoing in view, reverting control of the SFC to IAF (within a brief period of Vice Admiral Ravindra’s headship) leads to speculation that coordination and procedural issues may be thoroughly probed for mismanagement.
Conclusion
Like his predecessors, Air Marshal Ravi Gopal Krishana Kapoor will report directly to India’s (infamous) National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, whose political weight in the National Command Authority was empowered in 2019 by attaining a rank equivalent to Cabinet Minister. The absence of a CDS removes even the smallest middle channels.
If General (Retd.) Manoj Mukund Naravane is elevated to CDS, the relationship with C-in-C SFC is not likely to deepen, primarily on account of inter-service differences of opinion on the theaterisation issue. However, circumstances will be very different if the Government of India decides to appoint an Air Chief Marshal instead (less likely); in such a scenario, the IAF will have gained a unique monopoly over India’s strategic posturing. Time will tell.
