Lieutenant Colonel Rajan Pal is currently serving as a Military Professor at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu, Hawaii. Previously, he was the Director, Air Force Capabilities Development, Office of Defense Cooperation, U.S. Embassy New Delhi, India. He was responsible for enhancing interoperability and Indian Air Force warfighting capabilities in support of USINDOPACOM objectives, managing a foreign military sales portfolio, and serving as the principal advisor to senior DoD and DoS officials on Indian Air Force security cooperation matters. Lieutenant Colonel Pal obtained his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from California State University (CSU), Sacramento, and subsequently earned his commission through the U.S. Air Force Officer Training School in 2007. After commissioning, he served in various acquisition and operational roles before transitioning to the Foreign Area Officer career field.
In his prior acquisition assignment, Lt Col Pal served as the Deputy Materiel Leader for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft Branch at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. He was responsible for fielding advanced uncrewed capabilities that teamed with the U.S. Air Force’s most advanced weapon systems.
Lieutenant Colonel Pal also earned a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson AFB, and a Master of Science in National Security Affairs (South Asia) from the Naval Postgraduate School. His awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, and the Air Force Commendation Medal.
