Pune, Jul 1 (NVI): Lieutenant General Rajesh Pushkar on Wednesday assumed charge as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of the Southern Command, succeeding Lieutenant General Sandeep Jain, who has taken over as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff.
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 over four decades.
Before assuming the new role, he commanded the 2 Corps during Operation Sindoor and has also led an Armoured Regiment, an Independent Armoured Brigade, an Infantry Division and a Strike Corps.
He has held key staff appointments, including Additional Director General, Armoured Corps, Director General Territorial Army and instructional assignments at the National Defence Academy.
Lt Gen Pushkar has also served 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.
A recipient of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) and Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM), the officer paid tribute at the Southern Command War Memorial and received a Guard of Honour after assuming command.
He reaffirmed the Southern Command’s commitment to maintaining operational readiness and stressed greater jointness, indigenous capability development and rapid integration of emerging technologies to enhance military preparedness.(NVI)
