Lt General Ranbir Singh, who informed the media about surgical strikes in Pakistan, has assumed the charge of Northern Army commander. He replaced Lt. Gen. Devraj Anbu, who is now Vice Chief of Army Staff. The 58-year-old Lt. Gen. will be the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Northern Command. The command is stationed at Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir.
Lt.Gen. Singh was the Director General Military Operations (DGMO) when Indian Army commandos conducted the surgical strikes against insurgent camps in Myanmar in June 2015 and also when India carried out surgical strikes in Pakistan to destroy terror launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC) on September 29, 2016. He briefed the media about the operations. The Northern Army Commander is likely to be in the race of the Army Chief’s post after General Bipin Rawat. He has also served as a Colonel and Brigadier in the military operations directorate.
Lt. Gen. Singh was commissioned into the 9th Battalion of the Dogra Regiment in 1980. He has also commanded a Mountain Brigade, an Armoured Division and a Strike Corps. As part of his international assignments, he served in United Peace Keeping missions at Rwanda and Chief Operations Officer at Sudan.
Lt. Gen. Devraj Anbu also assumed the charge of Vice Chief of the Army Staff on Friday. He succeeded Lt.Gen.Sarath Chand. The baton was handed over to Lt.Gen. Anbu by Lt. Gen. Chand in a ceremony at South Block in Delhi.
Lt.Gen. Anbu is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla. He was commissioned into the 14 Sikh Light Infantry on June 7, 1980. Lt. Gen. Anbu has served in all types of operational environment including Siachen Glacier, counter insurgency and counter terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir and northeast. He also served in‘OP PAWAN’ in Sri Lanka.
During his 37-year military career, the General Officer commanded his unit during ‘OP PARAKRAM’, an Infantry Brigade on the Line of Control in the Kashmir Valley,. He also commanded a Mountain Division in Sikkim, the Indian Military Training Team in Bhutan and Gajraj Corps in the Eastern Theatre. The General has been awarded the Sena Medal (Gallantry) for operations in ‘OP Meghdoot’, Yudh Seva Medal during command of the Brigade, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal during command of the Division and Uttam Yudh Seva Medal during the command of an elite operational Corps.
Lt. Gen. Anbu was the Instructor at the National Defence Academy. As part of his international assignments he served as an International Military Observer with UN Peacekeeping Mission at Namibia.
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