By IANS,
New Delhi : Lieutenant General Vijay Kumar Singh, the present Eastern Army Commander, will assume office March 31 as the next Indian Army chief in the rank of General, it was announced here Friday.
Singh will take over from incumbent General Deepak Kapoor, who retires on that day.
“Singh has been appointed the next Chief of Army Staff in the rank of General with effect from the afternoon of March 31. The present army chief retires from service on March 31,” an official said.
The decision was taken by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) Thursday.
Singh was commissioned into the Rajput Regiment on June 14, 1970. During his career spanning nearly 40 years, he has serviced in a variety of command, staff and instructional appointments. He participated in the 1971 operations and Indian Peace Keeping Force operations in Sri Lanka. Prior to his present appointment, he commanded a Corps in the Western sector.
Besides being an honours graduate of the US Army Infantry School in Georgia, Singh is an aluminus of the Defence Services Staff College, the Army War College and the US Army War College, Carlisle.
He is recipient of Param Vishisht Seva Medal, the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Yudha Sena Medal. He is also one of the honorary Aide-De-Camps to the President Prathiba Patil, who is the supreme commander of the Indian armed forces.
Singh is married to Bharati and the couple has two daughters. The elder daughter is married to an army officer while the younger one is working in the corporate sector.