Group Captain VP Naik, VM was commissioned in the Indian Air Force in June 1999 in the fighter stream. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and College of Air Warfare, Secunderabad. The Officer holds an MSc in Defence and Strategic Studies and an MPhil. He has been an Instructor at the College of Air Warfare and is presently posted as a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Aerospace Power and Strategic Studies (CAPSS), New Delhi.