Strategic shift: Government appoints Army vice-chief overlooking sitting Commanders

In the appointment of Lt Gen Pushpendra Singh as Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS) on August 1, the Central Government has overlooked a long standing practice of selecting a sitting Army Commander for the crucial post at Army Headquarters.

The VCOAS officiates as Chief of Army the Staff in the latter’s absence and fills in for him at important events. Amongst all officers of the rank of Lieutenant General, he alone has the status equivalent to that of Army Commanders heading the six operational and one training command.

The VCOAS and Army Commanders, who report to the Army Chief, are the senior-most officers after the Chief and equivalent to officers of the rank of Secretary to the Government of India. Other Lieutenant Generals who may head corps, areas, training establishments or directorates, are equivalent to Additional Secretaries.

Prior to being elevated as VCOAS, Lt Gen Pushpendra Singh was serving as the Director General Operational Logistics and Strategic Movement at Army Headquarters. Prior to this, he commanded the Rising Star Corps based at Yol in Himachal Pradesh that is responsible for operations in the Pathankot—Jammu sector.

A Special Forces officer who commanded the Fourth Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, he was commissioned in December 1987, which makes him of the same seniority as two sitting Army Commanders and the Chief of the tri-service Andaman and Nicobar Command that is presently an Army officer. The other six Army Commanders are senior.

The VCOAS is appointed by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, on the advice and recommendations of the Ministry of Defence. The post was created in 1965.

Prior to that, the number two officer at Army Headquarters was the Deputy Chief of Army Staff. At present there are three Deputy Chiefs – Strategy, Capability Development and Sustenance, and Information Systems and Coordination, who, along with other Principal Staff Officers like the Adjutant General, Military Secretary, Engineer-in-Chief, Quarter Master General and Master General Sustenance, are subordinate to the VCOAS.

Barring rare odd cases in the early years, VCOAS have tenanted appointments of Army Commander before moving to Army Headquarters. There have also been instances of Army Commanders heading commands for just a few months before becoming VCOAS.

Defence experts are of the opinion that as the Army Chief’s top aide, VCOAS deals with operations, intelligence, training and financial planning, and as such needs to have exposure to the functioning of a Command, the highest hierarchical formation. Experience as an Army Commander results in better understanding of the strategic and administrative landscape, regional security dynamics, inter-service coordination and liaison with other government agencies at the apex level.

As many as 11 VCOAS have become Army Chiefs, the latest being General Upendra Dwivedi. He was the Northern Army Commander from February 2022 to February 2024 and then the VCOAS till he became the Chief in June 2024. Three other Army Chiefs in the recent past, Gen Bipin Rawat, Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane and Gen Manoj Pande have also remained VCOAS, though for just 3-4 months.

The first officer to serve as VCOAS was Lt Gen PP Kumaramangalam from January 1965 to June 1966, who had earlier headed the Eastern Command and later rose to become the Army Chief.

Lt Gen KK Katoch, who was the VCOAS from June 1966 to November 1970 was the first officer to hold this post without serving as an Army Commander before. He had commanded Srinagar-based 15 Corps during the 1965 Indo-Pak war and prior to that served as Chairman, Permanent Joint Planning Committee and Adjutant General.