Lt General Rajesh Pushkar Takes Charge As Southern Command Chief

Lieutenant General Rajesh Pushkar, who commanded the 2 Corps during Operation Sindoor, on Wednesday assumed charge as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Command.

He succeeds Lieutenant General Sandeep Jain, who has taken over as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff, according to a defence release.

An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Lt Gen Pushkar was commissioned into the 74 Armoured Regiment in December 1988 and has served in a wide range of command, staff and instructional appointments during a military career spanning more than four decades.

The release said Lt General Pushkar most recently commanded the 2 Corps during Operation Sindoor, where he provided "decisive leadership and strategic foresight" Lt Gen Pushkar has commanded an armoured regiment in an operational area, an independent armoured brigade, an infantry division and a strike corps in the western sector.

His staff appointments include Colonel, Military Secretary, in a strike corps; Colonel, General Staff, of an armoured division; Brigadier, Quartermaster General, of a strike corps; Brigadier, General Staff, of an operational command; Additional Director General of the Armoured Corps; and Director General of the Territorial Army.

Lt General Pushkar has also served as an instructor at the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, and has had overseas assignments with the Indian Military Training Team in Bhutan and as Defence and Military Attache at the Embassy of India in Moscow, with accreditation to Armenia and Belarus, the release said.

Lt Gen Pushkar is also an alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College, the College of Defence Management and the National Defence College. He holds master's degrees in Defence and Strategic Studies and Management Studies, besides an MPhil in Defence and International Relations.

He has been awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal, the Chief of Army Staff Commendation and three Army Commander's Commendations, according to the release.

After assuming command, Lt Gen Pushkar paid tribute to fallen soldiers at the Southern Command War Memorial and received a Guard of Honour at its headquarters.

Lt General Pushkar reaffirmed the command's commitment to maintaining high operational readiness and stressed greater jointness, indigenous capability development and rapid integration of emerging technologies, the release said.

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