Handing Over the Strategic Mantle: India’s Next VCOAS Emerges from 4 Para (SF)
Commando and veteran of Special Forces Lieutenant General Pushpendra Singh has been chosen as the next Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS). He will assume charge on August 1, 2025, replacing Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani, who has been in this position since July 2024.
A proud alumnus of the Indian Military Academy, Lt Gen Singh was commissioned into the prestigious 4 Para (Special Forces) in December 1987. With a rich career of over 35 years, he has been directly engaged in various important military operations such as Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka, Operation Meghdoot in the snow-covered heights of Siachen, Operation Rakshak in Jammu & Kashmir, and Operation Orchid in the Northeast.
Outside the country as well, Lt Gen Singh has served in United Nations Peacekeeping Missions in Lebanon and Sri Lanka, bolstering his otherwise impressive service history with international experience. In April 2022, he assumed command of the Rising Star Corps, a strategically important formation based at Yul Cantonment in Himachal Pradesh, which is responsible for defending India's western border and being operationally ready in the north.
His promotion to the position of VCOAS is indicative of continuous top-level leadership transitions in India's Armed Forces. On the same date, Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, incumbent Vice Chief of Naval Staff, is relinquishing the position of Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command. Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan will take over from him as the new Vice Chief of the Naval Staff.
The appointment of Lt Gen Pushpendra Singh is a turning point in India's military command, with immense combat experience, strategic acumen, and Special Forces background joining the Army's command structure.
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