Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra (retd), the newly appointed first CEO of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in Ayodhya, was commissioned into the Indian Air Force (IAF) as a fighter pilot in December 1986. He has logged more than 3,000 flying hours during his distinguished career.He was heading the Western Air Command when India launched Operation Sindoor against Pakistan in May 2025. Following the operation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the IAF frontline base at Adampur where Air Marshal Mishra briefed him on the operation.The Western Air Command oversees key airbases, including Adampur, Halwara, Pathankot, Ambala, Chandigarh, Leh, Srinagar, Bathinda, Hindon and Sirsa. These bases are spread across Punjab, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and Uttar Pradesh.Air Marshal Mishra, who hails from Deoria district of Uttar Pradesh, headed the Western Air Command from January 1, 2025, till his retirement on April 30, 2026. Under his command were Rafale, Sukhoi 30-MKI and MiG 29 fighter jets, Apache and Mi-25 attack helicopters, a large transport fleet, S-400 air defence missile systems and BrahMos units.During Operation Safed Sagar in Kargil in May-July 1999, Air Marshal Mishra, then a Squadron Leader, was tasked with test-flying the Mirage-2000 jets that had been rapidly integrated with laser-guided bombs to target Pakistani positions on mountain heights.He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Pune; Air Force Test Pilots School, Bengaluru; Air Command and Staff College, US; and Royal College of Defence Studies, UK.During a career spanning over 38 years, he commanded a fighter squadron at Tezpur, Assam, and served as the Chief Test Pilot at Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment, Bengaluru. As an Air Commodore, he commanded frontline airbases at Pathankot and Bareilly.He also held several other posts, including IAF’s Director (Operational Planning and Assessment), Principal Director and Assistant Chief of Air Staff.In the tri-services organisation, he was Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Operations).He has been awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and the Vishisht Seva Medal for his distinguished service.