By IANS
New Delhi : Lt. Gen. Milan Lalitkumar Naidu has taken over as the Indian Army’s vice chief. He succeeds Gen. Deepak Kapoor, who is now the army chief.
Naidu, till recently, headed the Shimla-based Army Training Command.
Soon after taking office, he paid tribute at the martyrs’ memorial at Amar Jawan Jyoti here. Naidu was thereafter accorded a guard of honour on the lawns of the Army Headquarters.
Naidu schooled at St Joseph’s Convent, Bhopal, and to continue his family tradition, joined the National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla, where he excelled in marksmanship shooting.
Commissioned in the Rajput Regiment in Dec 1967, he has had a long and chequered career having served in all sectors and terrains in India and abroad.
As commanding officer of 5 Rajput, he participated in Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka and was awarded the Yudh Seva Medal. He has commanded a brigade in semi-desert terrain, a division in the plains of Punjab during Operation Parakram and a corps in a high-altitude and glaciated region.
Selected to attend the Defence Services Staff College Course in Canada, Naidu has attended the Higher Command Course at the Army War College. He also holds a postgraduate degree in environmental and ecological sciences.
Naidu’s forte has been in the field of instruction. Having trained cadets and young officers at the Indian Military Academy and the Infantry School, he has had the distinction of commanding the Army War College – the premier officers’ training establishment for combat.
Naidu has had varied operational and staff experience at all levels, including a stint at the military operations directorate at Army Headquarters. He has also served as India’s defence attaché in Germany.
He is a keen sportsman and formed part of the Services team at the National Skeet Shooting Championship in 1968. He also plays golf, tennis and cricket.
Naidu is a recipient of the Ati Vishist Seva Medal (AVSM) for distinguished service.