Lt Gen Kapoor to take over as Army Vice-Chief on New Year

New Delhi, Dec 31 (UNI) Lt Gen Deepak Kapoor, who took active part in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, will take over as the Vice Chief of Army Staff on the New Year tomorrow.

Lt Gen Kapoor will replace Lt Gen S Pattabhiraman who has since retired.

Commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery on June 11, 1967, Lt Gen Kapoor has been in command of the Northern Army since September 5, 2005.

He represented the country as the Chief Operations Officer for all United Nations Forces deployed in Somalia from 1994 to 1995, for which he was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal in January 1996.

During his service as a Brigade Commander deployed on the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, the General was awarded Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) in January 1998.

He commanded one of the most prestigious divisions of the Indian Army, the RAM Division, as part of a Strike Corps, during operation 'Parakram'.

He was the Chief of Staff of 4 Corps in the North East fighting insurgency in Asom and thereafter commanded 33 Corps, deployed on the Indian-Sino border. For his excellent command of the Corps, the General Officer was awarded Ati Vishist Seva Medal. On promotion, he commanded the Army Training Command at Shimla.

The General Officer is also an excellent sportsman and has played hockey, basketball, golf and tennis at various levels.

UNI