LT GEN RAJESH PUSHKAR ASSUMES COMMAND OF SOUTHERN COMMAND

Lieutenant General Rajesh Pushkar AVSM, VSM assumed command as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command on 01 July 2026. He succeeds Lieutenant General Sandeep Jain, AVSM, SM who has taken over as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff.

An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Lieutenant General Rajesh Pushkar was commissioned into 74 Armoured Regiment in December 1988. The General Officer has had an illustrious and distinguished military career spanning over four decades. During his service, he has held a wide range of command, staff and instructional appointments across diverse geographical and operational environments. Lieutenant General Rajesh Pushkar provided decisive leadership and strategic foresight as General Officer Commanding 2 Corps during Operation SINDOOR.

The General Officer has commanded an Armoured Regiment in an operational area, a strategic Independent Armoured Brigade, an Infantry Division and a premier Strike Corps in the Western Sector. His important staff appointments include tenures as Colonel Military Secretary in a Strike Corps, Colonel General Staff of an Armoured Division in the Western Sector, Brigadier Quartermaster General of a Strike Corps, Brigadier General Staff of an Operational Command, Additional Director General, Armoured Corps and Director General Territorial Army. He has also been an Instructor at the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla.(UPDATED ON 1ST JULY 2026)