| Chief of the Air Staff | |
|---|---|
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 Indian Air Force | |
| Status | Professional head of aerial branch of the Indian Armed Forces. |
| Abbreviation | CAS |
| Member of | Defence Acquisition Council Defence Planning Committee National Security Council |
| Reports to | &sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Flag_of_India.svg){kind=small} President of India Prime Minister of India Minister of Defence&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Flag_of_Chief_of_Defence_Staff_(India).svg){kind=small} Chief of Defence Staff |
| Seat | Air HQ, Vayu Bhawan, New Delhi |
| Appointer | Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) President of India |
| Term length | 3 years or at the age of 62, whichever is earlier. |
| Constituting instrument | Air Force Act, 1950 (Act No. 45 of 1950) |
| Precursor | Chief of the Air Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Air Force |
| Formation | 26 January 1950 |
| First holder | Air Marshal Sir Thomas Elmhirst |
| Deputy |  Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) |
| Salary | ₹250,000 (US$3,000) monthly[1][2] |
| Website | Official website |
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) is a statutory office held by the professional head of the Indian Air Force (IAF), the aerial branch of the Indian Armed Forces.[3] Customarily held by a four-star air chief marshal, the CAS is the senior-most operational officer of the IAF, mandated with the responsibilities of supervising the force's overall functioning during states of peace and wartime, committing to the establishment-cum-continuity of air deterrence and executing India's security objectives vis-à-vis the preservation of the country's air sovereignty.[4]
Being a permanent member of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) and the National Security Council (NSC), the CAS also bears the responsibility of advising the nation's civilian leadership i.e., the Government of India on all matters privy to the IAF.[5]
Statutorily, the CAS ranks 12th-overall in the Indian order of precedence, and is the IAF's status-equivalent of the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of the Army Staff and the Chief of the Naval Staff - all three positions of which are also occupied by four-star officers from the armed forces.[6]
- ^ "Report of the 7th Central Pay Commission of India" (PDF). Seventh Central Pay Commission, Government of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
- ^ Biswas, Shreya, ed. (29 June 2016). "7th Pay Commission cleared: What is the Pay Commission? How does it affect salaries?". India Today. Archived from the original on 15 November 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
- ^ "CHIEF OF THE AIR STAFF". indianairforce.nic.in.
- ^ "IAF's Revised Doctrine 2022: An Overview". www.vifindia.org. 7 February 2023.
- ^ "The Civil and the Military in India". www.theindiaforum.in. 12 February 2020.
- ^ "PRESIDENT'S SECRETARIAT" (PDF). www.mha.gov.in. 26 July 1979.