Lieutenant General Satinder Kumar Saini, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, VSM, ADC was the 41st Vice Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army and assumed the office on 25 January 2020.[1][2] He previously served as General Officer Commanding in Chief (GOC-in-C) Southern Command.[3][4]
Satinder Kumar Saini | |
|---|---|
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| 41st Vice Chief of the Army Staff | |
| In office 25 January 2020 – 31 January 2021 | |
| Chief of Army Staff | Manoj Mukund Naravane |
| Preceded by | Manoj Mukund Naravane |
| Succeeded by | Chandi Prasad Mohanty |
| General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Command | |
| In office 1 October 2018 – 24 January 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Dewan Rabindranath Soni |
| Succeeded by | Chandi Prasad Mohanty |
| Personal details | |
| Awards |  Param Vishisht Seva Medal Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Yudh Seva Medal Vishisht Seva Medal |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  India |
| Branch/service |  Indian Army |
| Years of service | June 1981 – January 2021 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant General |
| Unit | 7 Jat |
| Commands |  Southern Command IX Corps Kilo Force Rashtriya Rifles 79(I) Mountain Brigade 7 Jat |
Early life and education edit
Saini is from District Hoshiarpur in Punjab, an alumnus of Sainik School, Kapurthala, National Defence Academy, Pune; and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He has also attended the Army Command and Staff Course at Staff College, Camberley; Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham; and National Defence College, Dhaka. He has a total of three degrees in defence and strategic studies.[5][4]
Career edit
Saini was commissioned into the 7th battalion, Jat Regiment in June 1981. His commands include 7 Jat, a Mountain Brigade in the Kashmir Valley, Counter Insurgency Force (Kilo) (part of the Rashtriya Rifles) and IX Corps. The general officer has also held numerous staff appointments including Brigade Major of an infantry brigade, General Staff Officer (Operations) of an infantry division, BGS of a Corps, Director of Military Operations at Army HQ; Director General, Manpower Planning and Personnel Services (MP&PS). He has held different instructor appointments including Senior Directing Staff at National Defence College, Weapons Instructor at National Security Guards Training Center and the Commandant of the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He was also The Colonel of the Jat Regiment.[6][5][7][8][9][10][11][12]
Saini has served on international deputations as well including Deputy Chief Military Personnel Officer in the Iraq- Kuwait UN Mission; Global Peace Operations Initiative's peacekeeping exercise in Mongolia; a counter-terrorism exercise in Australia.[3]
During the 38 years of his service, he has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (2020), the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (2018), the Yudh Seva Medal, the Vishisht Seva Medal, the Chief of Army Staff Commendation and the Army Commander Commendation for his service.[13]
Honors and decorations edit
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Dates of rank edit
| Insignia | Rank | Component | Date of rank |
|---|---|---|---|
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Second Lieutenant | Indian Army | 13 June 1981[14] |
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Lieutenant | Indian Army | 13 June 1983[15] |
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Captain | Indian Army | 13 June 1986[16] |
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Major | Indian Army | 13 June 1992[17] |
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Lieutenant-Colonel | Indian Army | 16 December 2004[18] |
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Colonel | Indian Army | 1 October 2005[19] |
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Brigadier | Indian Army | 13 March 2009 (seniority from 4 June 2008)[20] |
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Major General | Indian Army | 25 October 2013 (seniority from 4 October 2011)[21] |
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Lieutenant-General | Indian Army | 21 May 2016[22] |
References edit
- ^ "Lt Gen SK Saini appointed Vice Chief of Indian Army". The Times of India. 25 January 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- ^ "Indian Army: Situation in J-K along LoC, in hinterland under control: New Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Saini - The Economic Times". m-economictimes-com.cdn.ampproject.org. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ a b "Lt Gen Saini takes charge as head of Southern Command". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 1 October 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
- ^ a b "Lt. Gen. Saini takes over Southern Command". The Times of India.
- ^ a b "Lt Gen SK Saini takes over as Corps Commander". 5 January 2017.
- ^ "Lt General Saini new commandant of Indian Military Academy". The Economic Times. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
- ^ "Thousands protest killing of militants in Kashmir's Kupwara - Firstpost". www.firstpost.com. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "Lt Gen Saini is IMA Commandant".
- ^ "14 officers approved for rank of Lt General, 5 from Gorkha Rifles". 22 April 2016.
- ^ "Lt Gen Saini takes over as Commander of Rising Star Corps". 4 January 2017.
- ^ "Lt. Gen. Y V K Mohan takes over as Commander of 9 Crops". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 10 January 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
- ^ "JAT Regiment Colonel visits Gallant 6th Bn". Jammu Kashmir Latest News | Tourism | Breaking News J&K. 1 February 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "Gallantry Awards to Army on Republic Day 2018". pib.nic.in. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 24 July 1982. p. 1090.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 19 November 1983. p. 1670.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 21 March 1987. p. 414.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 19 December 1992. p. 2230.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 15 October 2005. p. 1890.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 16 September 2006. p. 1295.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 25 June 2011. p. 1179.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 15 August 2015. p. 2131.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 31 December 2016. p. 2678.