Satinder Kumar Saini

Lieutenant General Satinder Kumar Saini, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, VSM, ADC is the current Vice Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army and assumed the office on 25 January 2020.[1][2] He previously served as General Officer Commanding in Chief (GOC-in-C) Southern Command.[3][4]

Lieutenant General Satinder Kumar Saini PVSM, AVSM, YSM, VSM, ADC
Allegiance	India
Service/branch	Indian Army
Years of service	June 1981 – present
Rank	Lieutenant General
Service number	IC-39436F
Unit	7 Jat
Commands held	Southern Command IX Corps Kilo Force Rashtriya Rifles 79(I) Mountain Brigade 7 Jat
Awards	Param Vishisht Seva Medal Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Yudh Seva Medal Vishisht Seva Medal

Early life and education

Saini is an alumnus of Sainik School, Kapurthala, National Defence Academy, Pune; and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He has also attended the Army Command and Staff Course at Staff College, Camberley; Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham; and National Defence College, Dhaka. He has a total of three degrees in defence and strategic studies.[5][4]

Career

Saini was commissioned into the 7th battalion, Jat Regiment in June 1981. His commands include 7 Jat, a Mountain Brigade in the Kashmir Valley, Counter Insurgency Force (Kilo) (part of the Rashtriya Rifles) and IX Corps. The general officer has also held numerous staff appointments including Brigade Major of an infantry brigade, General Staff Officer (Operations) of an infantry division, BGS of a Corps, Director of Military Operations at Army HQ; Director General, Manpower Planning and Personnel Services (MP&PS). He has held different instructor appointments including Senior Directing Staff at National Defence College, Weapons Instructor at National Security Guards Training Center and the Commandant of the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He is also The Colonel of the Jat Regiment.[6][5][7][8][9][10][11][12]

Saini has served on international deputations as well including Deputy Chief Military Personnel Officer in the Iraq- Kuwait UN Mission; Global Peace Operations Initiative's peacekeeping exercise in Mongolia; a counter-terrorism exercise in Australia.[3]

During the 38 years of his service, he has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (2020), the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (2018), the Yudh Seva Medal, the Vishisht Seva Medal, the Chief of Army Staff Commendation and the Army Commander Commendation for his service.[13]

Honors and Decorations

Param Vishisht Seva Medal	Ati Vishisht Seva Medal		Yudh Seva Medal
Vishisht Seva Medal	Samanya Seva Medal	Special Service Medal	Operation Vijay Medal
Operation Parakram Medal	Sainya Seva Medal	Videsh Seva Medal	50th Anniversary of Independence Medal
30 Years Long Service Medal	20 Years Long Service Medal	9 Years Long Service Medal	UNIKOM

Dates of rank

Insignia	Rank	Component	Date of rank
	Second Lieutenant	Indian Army	13 June 1981[14]
	Lieutenant	Indian Army	13 June 1983[15]
	Captain	Indian Army	13 June 1986[16]
	Major	Indian Army	13 June 1992[17]
	Lieutenant-Colonel	Indian Army	16 December 2004[18]
	Colonel	Indian Army	1 October 2005[19]
	Brigadier	Indian Army	13 March 2009 (seniority from 4 June 2008)[20]
	Major General	Indian Army	25 October 2013 (seniority from 4 October 2011)[21]
	Lieutenant-General	Indian Army	21 May 2016[22]

References

1. Jan 25, TNN |; 2020; Ist, 4:25. "Lt Gen SK Saini appointed Vice Chief of Indian Army | Pune News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2020-01-26.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
2. "Indian Army: Situation in J-K along LoC, in hinterland under control: New Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Saini - The Economic Times". m-economictimes-com.cdn.ampproject.org. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
3. India, Press Trust of (2018-10-01). "Lt Gen Saini takes charge as head of Southern Command". Business Standard India. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
4. "Lt. Gen. Saini takes over Southern Command".
5. "Lt Gen SK Saini takes over as Corps Commander". 2017-01-05.
6. "Lt General Saini new commandant of Indian Military Academy". The Economic Times. 2016-05-23. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
7. "Thousands protest killing of militants in Kashmir's Kupwara - Firstpost". www.firstpost.com. Retrieved 2018-04-08.
8. http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/uttarakhand/community/lt-gen-saini-is-ima-commandant/241080.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
9. "14 officers approved for rank of Lt General, 5 from Gorkha Rifles". 2016-04-22.
10. http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/lt-gen-saini-takes-over-as-commander-of-rising-star-corps/
11. India, Press Trust of (2018-01-10). "Lt. Gen. Y V K Mohan takes over as Commander of 9 Crops". Business Standard India. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
12. "JAT Regiment Colonel visits Gallant 6th Bn". Jammu Kashmir Latest News | Tourism | Breaking News J&K. 2017-02-01. Retrieved 2018-04-08.
13. "Gallantry Awards to Army on Republic Day 2018". pib.nic.in. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
14. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 24 July 1982. p. 1090.
15. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 19 November 1983. p. 1672.
16. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 21 March 1987. p. 414.
17. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 19 December 1992. p. 2230.
18. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 15 October 2005. p. 1890.
19. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 16 September 2006. p. 1295.
20. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 25 June 2011. p. 1179.
21. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 15 August 2015. p. 2131.
22. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 31 December 2016. p. 2678.

Military offices
Preceded by Manoj Mukund Naravane	Vice Chief of the Army Staff 25 January 2020 – Incumbent	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by Dewan Rabindranath Soni	General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief Southern Command 1 October 2018 – 25 January 2020	Succeeded by Chandi Prasad Mohanty
Preceded by Ashok Ambre	General Officer Commanding IX Corps 4 January 2017 – 9 January 2018	Succeeded by Y V K Mohan