Unprecedented: Key military posts sans regular appointees

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 6

It’s unprecedented. Key posts in the military are without regular appointees. These include posts of Western Army Commander, Director General Military Intelligence (DGMI) and Master General Ordnance (MGO).

Even a top Air Force officer, Air Marshal S Neelakantan, who was holding temporary charge as CISC, has been posted out. The post of DGMI, too, does not have a regular appointee after Lt Gen KG Krishna superannuated on July 31. Normally appointments to such posts are made a month in advance. In the Western Command headquartered at Chandimandir, the General Officer Commanding of Jalandhar-based 11 Corps, Lt Gen Jagbir Singh Cheema, is the officiating Chief after Lt Gen KJ Singh superannuated on July 31. The Western Command is the only command dual-tasked with Pakistan and China (Himachal Pradesh) border.

Lt Gen DR Soni, an Armoured Corps officer who till a fortnight ago was commanding the Bathinda-based 10 Corps, is a contender for the Western Command as well as the Shimla-based Army Training Command. He was set to be the Commander-in-Chief Andaman and Nicobar Command but the proposal to keep the post with the Navy, and not to rotate it between the three services, has held that back.

Meanwhile, ARTRAC commander Lt Gen PM Hariz has been appointed to head the Southern Army Command on September 1, replacing Lt Gen Bipin Rawat, who has been appointed as the next Vice Chief of the Army after Lt Gen MMS Rai superannuates on August 31. The other contender for the Western Army Commander post is the Sukna-based 33 Corps Commander Lt Gen Surinder Singh.