Chandigarh: Lieutenant General Pushpendra Pal Singh, a Special Forces officer and former vice-chief of Army Staff, on Wednesday took charge as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of the Army’s Western Command, headquartered at Chandimandir. He succeeds Lt Gen Manoj Kumar Katiyar, who retired on Tuesday.The appointment comes at a time of heightened operational focus along India’s western front, with the Western Command remaining central to military preparedness along the border with Pakistan.Commissioned into the 4th Battalion of the Parachute Regiment (Special Forces) in Dec 1987, Lt Gen Pushpendra Pal Singh has served in operations including Pawan, Meghdoot, Orchid and multiple tenures of Rakshak.Over a career spanning nearly four decades, he has commanded a Special Forces unit in Kashmir and along the Line of Control, besides leading an infantry brigade, a mountain division during Operation Snow Leopard, and a Corps responsible for sensitive areas including Jammu, Samba and Pathankot.He has also held key staff appointments, including director general, operational logistics, at Army Headquarters, before serving as vice-chief of Army Staff.Lt Gen Singh is an alumnus of La Martiniere College, Lucknow; Lucknow University and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He has attended the Defence Services Staff College, College of Defence Management and Indian Institute of Public Administration, and holds advanced degrees in management and philosophy.He has been awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) and Bar to Sena Medal for distinguished service. A spokesperson for the Western Command said under his leadership, the command would continue to focus on multi-domain operations, induction of niche technologies such as drones and counter-drone systems, intelligence-driven operations, and infrastructure development, while maintaining close synergy with the civil administration.BoxWHO IS LT GEN PUSHPENDRA SINGH?Commissioned into 4 Para (Special Forces) in Dec 1987Served in Op Pawan, Meghdoot, Orchid and multiple tenures of Op RakshakAttended DSSC Wellington, CDM Secunderabad and IIPAHolds a master’s in management studies from Osmania UniversityHolds an MPhil from Panjab UniversityAwarded Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) and Bar to Sena Medal
