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. He previously served as General Officer Commanding in Chief (GOC-in-C) Southern Command.
Early life and education 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.
Career 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.
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.
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.
Honors and decorations
Param Vishisht Seva MedalAti Vishisht Seva MedalYudh Seva MedalVishisht Seva MedalSamanya Seva MedalSpecial Service MedalOperation Vijay MedalOperation Parakram MedalSainya Seva MedalVidesh Seva Medal50th Anniversary of Independence Medal30 Years Long Service Medal20 Years Long Service Medal9 Years Long Service MedalUNIKOM
Dates of rank Insignia Rank Component Date of rank Second Lieutenant Indian Army 13 June 1981 Lieutenant Indian Army 13 June 1983 Captain Indian Army 13 June 1986 Major Indian Army 13 June 1992 Lieutenant-Colonel Indian Army 16 December 2004 Colonel Indian Army 1 October 2005 Brigadier Indian Army 13 March 2009 (seniority from 4 June 2008) Major General Indian Army 25 October 2013 (seniority from 4 October 2011) Lieutenant-General Indian Army 21 May 2016
References