On August 1, 2025, Lieutenant (Lt.)General Pushpendra Singh, General Officer (GO) of the Parachute Regiment, has officially assumed charge as the new Vice-Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS). He succeeded Lt. General NS Raja Subramani, who superannuated on July 31, 2025.
- In addition to that, Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, a gunnery and missile systems specialist, officially took charge as the 47th Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS).
- He succeeded Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, who assumed charge as the Flag Officer Commander-in-Chief (FoCinC) of the Western Naval Command (WNC), replacing Vice Admiral Sanjay J Singh.
Exam Hints:
- What? Lt.General Pushpendra Singh as the new VCOAS; Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan as the 47th VCNS
- When: Both assumed charge on August 1, 2025
- Predecessors: Lt. General NS Raja Subramani (India Army, IA) and Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan (Indian Navy, IN)
- New FoCinC of WNC: Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan
- Predecessor of FoCinC of WNC: Vice Admiral Sanjay J Singh
About Lt. General Pushpendra Singh:
Parachute Regiment: In December 1987, the GO Singh was commissioned into 4th Battalion, The Parachute regiment (Special Forces).
Key Operations: During his extensive career spanning nearly 4 decades, he has served in some of the most demanding operations like: Operation PAWAN (Sri Lanka); Operation MEGHDOOT (Siachen); Operation ORCHID (North East); and several tenures as Operation RAKSHAK (Jammu & Kashmir, J&K).
Commanded Key Operations: During his extensive career spanning nearly 4 decades, he has held various command and staff appointments for instance: he commanded a Special Forces Unit in the Kashmir Valley and on the Line of Control (LoC); commanded an Infantry Brigade and a Mountain Division in ‘OP SNOW LEOPARD’ along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Previous Role: Before this appointment, Lt. Gen. Singh served as the Director General (DG) of Operational Logistics & Strategic Movement at the IA headquarters.
Awards/Accolades: He has been awarded Ati Vishist Seva Medal (AVSM) and Sena Medal Bar(SMB), for his distinguished service to India..
About Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan:
Commissioned: Vice Admiral Vatsayan was commissioned into the Indian Navy (IN) on January 01, 1988.
Previous Appointments: Before taking over VCNS, Vatsayan has held various important operational, staff and training appointments, including at the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS), and Naval Headquarters (NHQ) in New Delhi.
- He also served as the Deputy Commandant of the National Defence Academy (NDA) and later, he was appointed as Chief of Staff (CoS), Eastern Naval Command (ENC) in December 2021.
- He took over as the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet in February 2020.
Commanded Frontline Warships: The flag officer Vatsayan has served onboard various frontline warships such as: the commissioning crew of the Guided Missile Destroyer INS Mysore, INS Nishank and pre-commissioning crew of Coast Guard Open Patrol Vessel (OPV) Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Sangram.
- He also served as the Executive Officer of INS Mysore and has commanded Coast Guard Ship C-05, Missile Vessels INS Vibhuti, among others.
Awards/Accolades: In 2021, he was awarded the AVSM for his distinguished service to the nation.
