LT GEN RAJESH PUSHKAR AVSM, VSM ASSUMES COMMAND OF SOUTHERN COMMAND

Lieutenant General Rajesh Pushkar AVSM, VSM assumed command as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command on 01 July 2026. He succeeds Lieutenant General Sandeep Jain, AVSM, SM who has taken over as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff.

An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Lieutenant General Rajesh Pushkar was commissioned into 74 Armoured Regiment in December 1988. The General Officer has had an illustrious and distinguished military career spanning over four decades. During his service, he has held a wide range of command, staff and instructional appointments across diverse geographical and operational environments. Lieutenant General Rajesh Pushkar provided decisive leadership and strategic foresight as General Officer Commanding 2 Corps during Operation SINDOOR.

The General Officer has commanded an Armoured Regiment in an operational area, a strategic Independent Armoured Brigade, an Infantry Division and a premier Strike Corps in the Western Sector. His important staff appointments include tenures as Colonel Military Secretary in a Strike Corps, Colonel General Staff of an Armoured Division in the Western Sector, Brigadier Quartermaster General of a Strike Corps, Brigadier General Staff of an Operational Command, Additional Director General, Armoured Corps and Director General Territorial Army. He has also been an Instructor at the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla.

The GOC-In-C has had two international exposures as part of the Indian Military Training Team to Bhutan and as Defence and Military Attache, Embassy of India, Moscow, with accreditation to Armenia and Belarus. He is a graduate of the National Defence Academy and a post graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, College of Defence Management and the prestigious National Defence College of India. His civil academic pursuits include Masters in Defence and Strategic Studies, Masters in Management Studies and Master of Philosophy 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.

On assuming command, Lieutenant General Rajesh Pushkar paid tribute to Bravehearts at the Southern Command War Memorial and received a Guard of Honour at Headquarters Southern Command. He reaffirmed Southern Command's unwavering commitment to sustaining highest levels of operational readiness across its diverse areas of responsibility and emphasised on achieving greater synergy through enhanced jointness, indigenous capability development and rapid integration of emerging technologies. He expressed his confidence that all ranks would continue to uphold the glorious traditions of the Indian Army and maintain the highest standards of operational excellence in service of the nation.

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Nishant Arvind / Pradeep Kumar