Veteran of elite forces and key military ops: Lt Gen Pushpendra Singh takes over as Vice Chief of Army Staff; succeeds Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani

NEW DELHI: Lieutenant General Pushpendra Singh, a highly decorated officer with over 35 years of service in the Indian Army, took over as the new Vice Chief of the Army Staff on Friday.Commissioned into the 4th Battalion of the Parachute Regiment (Special Forces) in December 1987, Lt Gen Singh has served in several key military operations and held numerous command and staff roles during his career.For his outstanding service, he has been awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and a Bar to the Sena Medal. He succeeds Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani who retired on July 31 after a distinguished career spanning 39 years.He has commanded a Special Forces unit in the Kashmir Valley and along the Line of Control. He also led an infantry brigade and a mountain division as part of 'Operation Snow Leopard' along the Line of Actual Control. His operational experience includes service in major missions such as 'Operation Pawan', 'Operation Meghdoot', 'Operation Orchid' and multiple assignments in 'Operation Rakshak'.In a post on X, the army said, "Lieutenant General Pushpendra Singh assumed the appointment of Vice Chief of the Army Staff, #VCOAS of the #IndianArmy today. In a solemn ceremony, he along with #VeerNaris and family members of the bravehearts who fought under his command during a daring counter-terror operation in OP PAWAN in Sri Lanka on 22 July 1989, laid wreath and paid homage at the National war Memorial, #NewDelhi.

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The army highlighted his leadership during a deadly mission in Sri Lanka during Operation Pawan. Then a young Second Lieutenant, he led a 13-member Quick Reaction Team that came under attack. Despite losing five soldiers, he successfully led a counter-assault that neutralized four LTTE militants and injured several others.Before his current role, Lt Gen Singh served as the Director General of Operational Logistics and Strategic Movement at Army Headquarters.He is an alumnus of La Martiniere College and Lucknow University and was trained at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He has commanded a Corps in Himachal Pradesh and is also responsible for looking over the sensitive areas of Jammu, Samba and Pathankot.He has attended the prestigious Staff Course at Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington, Higher Defence Management Course at CDM, Secunderabad and Advance Professional Programme in Public Administration at the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) in New Delhi.Lt Gen Singh holds a master's in management studies from the Osmania University and a master's in philosophy from the Panjab University.