New Delhi: Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma took over as Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), an important Northern Command, as Commanding-in-CF (GOC-in-C) and continued the stand-off with China on the other amidst increasing tension with Pakistan.
Lieutenant General Sharma, who was previously the Deputy Chief of the Indian Army (Strategy), took over on 30 April after the supernation of Lieutenant General MV Suchindra Kumar.
DCOAS (strategy) oversees important directorates within the Indian Army, including operations and intelligence.
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In the second battalion of the Madras Regiment, the commissioner of the new Northern Army has served as the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), which is an important wing of the Indian Army, which oversees operational requirements and strategies.
Lieutenant General Sharma has also acted as the commander of the Ambala-based 2 core, also known as Kharga Corps, one of the two strikes for western borders.
He has also commanded a division in the Ponch sector of Jammu and Kashmir. Incidentally, Lieutenant General Sharma was stationed since the Pahalgam attack in Kashmir and all were part of the security briefing and scheme.
The Northern Command takes care of both borders with Pakistan and China, besides a counter-infection and anti-terrorism role.
In three decades, Lieutenant General Sharma has served in several operating environments, including Operation Pawan, The Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) operation in Jafa, Sri Lanka in the late 1980s; Operation Meghdoot, the 1984 Indian Army Operation to withdraw the Ciachen Glacier, which continues; Operation Rakshak, an anti-terrorism operation in Jammu and Kashmir began in the 1990s; And Operation Parquer, a deadlock of 2001-02 between India and Pakistan.
He has also served in the military secretary branch and was recently the Institutional Information Director, (Information War) at the Army Headquarters in New Delhi.
Other major appointments
Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, who was previously an Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Central Air Command in Allahabad, has taken over as the new head of the Integrated Defense Staff (CISC) after the supernation of Lieutenant General JP Matthew.
An experienced test pilot and qualified flight instructor, Air Marshal Dixit, with more than 3,300 flight hours, brings into extensive operations and plan experience and commanded a Mirage squadron.
They will be replaced by Air Marshal Balakrishnan Moneycutan, currently the AOC-in-C of the Southern Air Command.
Meanwhile, Air Marshal Narmadeshwar Tiwari has taken over as the new vice president of the Air Staff after the supernation of Air Marshal SP Dhakar.
Tiwari was earlier commanding the Southwest Air Command in Gandhinagar, and will be replaced by the current training command head, Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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