SHIMLA (PTI): Lieutenant General Manjinder Singh on Friday took over as the 24th General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Army Training Command.

He succeeds Lt Gen Surinder Singh Mahal, who superannuated a day earlier, as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Shimla-based Army Training Command (ARTRAC), a statement said.

Lt Gen Singh is an alumnus of the Sainik School in Kapurthala, National Defence Academy in Khadakwasla and the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun.

He was commissioned into 19 MADRAS on December 20, 1986.

Lt Gen Singh commanded his battalion in counter-insurgency environment in Jammu and Kashmir, and tenanted varied staff appointments in Corps and Commands along the Western Front.

He has also been an instructor at the Indian Military Academy and the Indian Military Training Team at Bhutan.

He has attended various prestigious courses such as Defence Services Staff College, Higher Command Course and also had the distinction of attending the National Defence College at Thailand, the statement said.

Lt Gen Singh was the Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (policy, planning and force development) prior to taking over as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Army Training Command.

With his vast experience at tactical, operational and strategic level, he now heads the prestigious Army Training Command, which is entrusted with the task to train and shape the Indian Army, make responsive and adaptive soldiers and evolve doctrines, concepts and more importantly, adopt the warfighting technologies to ensure operational readiness for future challenges.

He was decorated with the Yudh Seva Medal in 2015 and the Vishisht Seva Medal in 2019 for his exemplary leadership and devotion to duty.