3 min readPuneJul 1, 2026 06:39 PM IST
Lieutenant General Rajesh Pushkar on Wednesday assumed charge as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of the Pune-headquartered Southern Command. He succeeds Lieutenant General Sandeep Jain, who has taken over as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA), Lt Gen Pushkar was commissioned into the 74 Armoured Regiment in December 1988.
“The General Officer has had an illustrious and distinguished military career spanning over four decades. During his service, he has held a wide range of command, staff and instructional appointments across diverse geographical and operational environments. Lieutenant General Rajesh Pushkar provided decisive leadership and strategic foresight as General Officer Commanding 2 Corps during Operation Sindoor,” an Army statement said.
Lt Gen Pushkar has commanded an armoured regiment in an operational area, an independent armoured brigade, an infantry division and the strategically significant 2 Corps, a premier strike corps in the western sector.
His key staff appointments include Colonel Military Secretary in a strike corps, Colonel General Staff of an armoured division in the western sector, Brigadier Quartermaster General of a strike corps, Brigadier General Staff of an operational command, Additional Director General, Armoured Corps, and Director General, Territorial Army. He has also served as an instructor at the NDA in Khadakwasla, Pune.
He has had two international assignments — with the Indian Military Training Team in Bhutan, and as Defence and Military Attaché at the Embassy of India in Moscow, with concurrent accreditation to Armenia and Belarus.
Lt Gen Pushkar is a graduate of the NDA and an alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College, the College of Defence Management and the National Defence College. He holds master’s degrees in Defence and Strategic Studies and Management Studies, besides an MPhil in Defence and International Relations.
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He has been awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal, the Chief of the Army Staff Commendation, and three Army Commander’s Commendations.
After assuming command, Lt Gen Pushkar paid tribute to the fallen soldiers at the Southern Command War Memorial and received a Guard of Honour at the Southern Command headquarters.
According to the Army, he reaffirmed Southern Command’s commitment to maintaining the highest levels of operational readiness across its areas of responsibility and stressed greater synergy through enhanced jointness, indigenous capability development and the rapid integration of emerging technologies.
He also expressed confidence that personnel at all levels would continue to uphold the traditions of the Indian Army and maintain the highest standards of operational excellence in service to the nation.