Jain is a seasoned intelligence officer, credited with masterminding the high-stakes Operation Sindoor through a combination of human and technical intelligence.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) had appointed Jain as the R&AW chief in July this year, succeeding Ravi Sinha following his retirement. He is widely regarded as an expert in both human and signals intelligence.

Before taking charge of R&AW, Jain headed the Aviation Research Centre (ARC), an elite unit known for its work in aerial surveillance, signals intelligence (SIGINT), photographic intelligence (PHOTINT), imagery intelligence (IMINT), and border monitoring.

His operational acumen and leadership were most evident during Operation Sindoor, which targeted nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), including the headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba, on 7 May.