Lt Gen VK Singh appointed next Indian Army chief

Lt General Vijay Kumar Singh

New Delhi: The Government of India has announced the appointment of Lt Gen VK Singh, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, ADC, presently General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Army Command, as the next chief of the army staff (COAS). Lt Gen Singh will assume responsibilities when current chief General Deepak Kapoor retires from service on 31 March 2010.

Lt Gen Singh's appointment as the next army chief was cleared by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on Thursday and a formal announcement will be made shortly.

Lt Gen Singh is a third generation officer from the Rajput regiment who has seen action in the 1971 Bangladesh war and was awarded the Yudh Seva Medal for gallantry in action during 'Op Pawan' against LTTE forces in Sri Lanka.

Lt Gen Singh will serve as the COAS for a period of two years.

Lt Gen Singh was commissioned into 2 Rajput battalion in June 1970 and subsequently went on to command the same unit.

Besides the Bangladesh war and Sri Lanka operations, Lt Gen Singh has also experienced counter insurgency and high altitude operations. He was awarded Ati Vashisht Seva Medal (AVSM) for distinguished service while commanding a counter insurgency force.