MATHURA (PTI): Lieutenant General Manoj Kumar Katiyar on Monday took charge as General Officer Commanding of the Mathura-based Strike 1 Corps, officials said.

He took over the reins from Lieutenant General C P Cariappa.

He exhorted the soldiers to focus on operational preparedness so as to meet the emerging security challenges for the nation.

The officer said STRIKE 1 Corps will enhance its strategic importance as a ‘Force of Decision’ for the nation.

After completing his training at the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, General officer Katiyar was commissioned into the 23rd Battalion of the Rajput Regiment in 1986, Colonel B K Attri said.

He not only commanded his battalion twice along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir and along the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh, but also commanded an Infantry Brigade along western borders and an Army Headquarters Reserve Mountain Division, officials said.