New Delhi. General Deepak Kapoor, till recently the Vice Chief of Staff, has taken over the reins of the Indian Army from General JJ Singh, who retired at mid-day Sep 30.

The changeover of the baton was solemnized in a simple ceremony in the Army Chief’s office, preceded by a farewell guard of honor to General.

JJ Singh on the lawns of the South Block. Gen JJ Singh, also paid homage to the martyrs at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at the India Gate.

Gen Deepak Kapoor, the 23rd Chief of the second largest Army in the world, brings with him vast and rich experiences in strategic thought; operational excellence and effective management of vast
multi-technology and multi-disciplinary resources including vast financial and human capitals that the Indian Army employs.

An alumnus of Sainik School, Defence Services Staff College, the Army War College and the National Defence College, Gen Kapoor’s rise through the steep pyramidical hierarchy of the Army, to its very apex, has been a journey that saw him performing extraordinarily well in a large number of key prestigious appointments.

Commissioned in the Corps of Artillery in June 1967, as a young officer, Gen Kapoor participated in the war for liberation of Bangladesh in 1971. He represented the country as the Chief Operations Officer for all United Nations Forces deployed in Somalia from 1994 to 1995, for which he was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal in January 1996.

During his service as a Brigade Commander deployed on the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, the General was awarded the Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) in January 1998.

During OP PARAKRAM, Gen Kapoor commanded one of the most prestigious Divisions of a Strike Corps. He went on to command a Corps in the North East deployed along the Sino – Indian frontier. For his excellent command of the Corps, the General Officer was awarded Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in January 2006. On promotion as Army Commander, he commended the Army Training Command at Shimla. Thereafter, he commanded the largest and the most sensitive command of the Indian Army i.e. the Northern Command from September 2005 to December 2006. As a result of his sustained efforts, both the violence levels and infiltration came down appreciably in the State of J&K. For his efforts, the General Officer was awarded Param Vishist Seva Medal in January 2007.His last appointment was that of the Vice Chief of Army Staff.

An avid reader, intellectual and strategic thinker as well as a keen sportsman, Gen Kapoor takes over the command of the Indian Army in the midst of shifting paradigms in national security challenges and at a time when the Indian Army has embarked upon a transformation process to incorporate cutting edge technologies to enhance and retain its competitive advantage.

The General is married to Mrs Kirti, daughter of an army veteran, Brig KP Pande, who is a recipient of Maha Vir Chakra. Kapoors have two children – a daughter and a son, both of whom are married.