Article Posted on : - Mar 02, 2023

Lt Gen M V Suchindra Kumar assumes charge as new Vice Chief of Indian Army. (Photo: PIB)

NEW DELHI (PTI): Lt Gen M V Suchindra Kumar on Wednesday took charge as the Vice Chief of Army Staff, officials said.

The general officer has taken over the appointment from Lt Gen B S Raju who has taken over the reins of Jaipur-based Sapta Shakti Command, they said.

"Lieutenant General M V Suchindra Kumar has assumed the appointment of the Vice Chief of Army Staff on March 1, 2023," the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

Prior to taking over as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff, Lt Gen Kumar was "tenanting the appointment of Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) at Army HQ".

"He has experience in intelligence, operations, force structuring, operational logistics and tech infusion in his recent appointments," the statement said.

An alumnus of Sainik School, Bijapur and the National Defence Academy, the general officer was commissioned into 1 Assam Regiment in June 1985.

He has commanded 59 Rashtriya Rifles Battalion (Assam), an infantry brigade and an infantry division on the Line of Control (LoC), and the highly active White Knight Corps in the Northern Command, the statement said.

The general officer has held various staff and instructional appointments, to include an instructional tenure at Infantry School, Mhow; Senior Operations Officer in the United Nations Sector in Cambodia; Colonel (Policy) in Military Secretary Branch, Indian Army Training Team at Lesotho; Brigadier General Staff (Operations) of a Corps in the Eastern Theatre; Additional Director General Military Intelligence, and Director General Military Intelligence at Army HQ, it said.

He has attended the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington; Higher Command Course, Mhow; and the National Defence College, New Delhi.

He has also attended courses on 'Cooperative Security in South Asia' in Sri Lanka and 'United Nations Senior Mission Leaders Course' in Egypt. His military papers have been published in a number of professional journals, the statement said.