Air Marshal Norman Anil Kumar “Charlie” Browne will be India’s new Chief of the Air Staff starting July 31, 2011. He will take over from the current Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshall P.V. Naik, whom I met in 2009 at Vayu Bhavan (Air Force Headquarters) in New Delhi.
(For my Western readers who may be surprised at his western sounding name, note that India has 25 million Christians and the religion first came to India with the Apostle Thomas; Christianity in India predated the induction of the religition into Europe by hundreds of years; Catholicism came to India with the arrival of Portuguese and French traders in the fifteenth century and protestant missionaries from England arrived in nineteenth century. Air Force camaraderie often results in nicknames for officers and with a last name like Brown, it is no surprise that his buddies were reminded of the Peanuts character, who is recognizable in India).
A 1972 graduate of India’s prestigious National Defence Academy near Pune, Browne served as an instructor at the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment and the Tri-services Defence Services Staff College in Wellington, India. He has logged 3,100 hours of flying. Before taking over as the Vice chief of the Air Staff in January 2011, he was the AOC-in-C of Western Air Command, the IAF’s most vital operational command since it protects the border with Pakistan.
An ace MiG-21 and Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter pilot, 59-year-old Browne was responsible for establishing the Indian Defense Wing in Tel Aviv, Israel in April 1997 at the time when India was starting to open up to the Jewish state. Under his command, the first landing of a Russian-made AN-32 transport aircraft took place at Nyoma Advanced Landing Ground, at an altitude of 13,300 feet in Leh, Ladakh in September 2009.
According to Aviation Week magazine, “Browne will oversee substantial changes in asset deployments to give the IAF greater reach and faster response to perceived external threats. Last October, Browne said the IAF would consider basing detachments of new-generation fighters at its high-altitude border bases, including Su-30MKIs. Under Browne, the IAF also will raise its first fighter squadrons in India’s southern peninsula, including some of the aircraft acquired in the MMRCA competition, to provide security to India’s island territories and sea lanes. Parity with the Pakistan Air Force, and to a much larger extent China’s air force, will be a major preoccupation for the new chief in the face of dwindling aircraft numbers.”
The magazine also noted “His tenure as IAF chief will also likely see the signing of contracts worth tens of billions of dollars. One key program that Browne will oversee is the $12-billion Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA). Browne played a central role in navigating the MMRCA teams through the competitive process during his 2007-09 tenure as deputy chief of the IAF. During his time in office, the government will likely sign deals for 10 or more Boeing C-17 heavy transports, six new-generation tanker transports (the Airbus Military A330 and Ilyushin Il-78 are in the running), 22 attack helicopters, 12 heavy-lift helicopters and nearly 200 basic trainer aircraft.”
What this means
Air Chief Marshall Browne’s tenure is likely to see continuity in acquisition planning and execution from his predecessor. Western companies should appreciate the stability while being aware that large capital decisions are not made exclusively by the Air Force alone. Other ministries, departments and geo-political forces can also come into play. Browne’s credentials make him well qualified to deal with the new role. Sadly, given the Indian seniority based systemand retirement policies, his tenure is likely to be too short.
