Lieutenant General Nav Kumar Khanduri[1] PVSM, AVSM, VSM is a retired general officer in the Indian Army, and the former General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Command since November 2021. He is the first officer from the Corps of Army Air Defence to become an army commander.[2]


Nav Kumar Khanduri

Allegiance India
Branch
 Indian Army
Service years
December 1983 – June 2023
Rank
Lieutenant-General
Service numberIC-41495M
Unit27 Air Defence Regiment
(Corps of Army Air Defence)
Commands Western Command
XXIII Corps
15 Infantry Division
Awards Ati Vishisht Seva Medal
Vishisht Seva Medal
Alma materNational Defence Academy
Indian Military Academy
Defence Services Staff College

Biography

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An alumnus of Rashtriya Indian Military College, Dehradun and the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Khanduri passed out with the 73rd Regular Course from the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun and was commissioned into 27 AD Missile Regiment (Amritsar Airfield) on 17 December 1983.[1][3] He commanded an air defence brigade in Operation Rakshak and a mountain brigade in Operation Falcon.[2][4] He served as an instructor at the College of Defence Management, Secunderabad and has held various staff appointments in field, high altitude and Integrated Headquarters postings.

Khanduri has also served with the Indian Military Training Team in Bhutan, as a United Nations Military Observer with the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia and as Deputy Chief Integrated Service Support with the United Nations Mission in Ivory Coast.[2] He commanded 15 Infantry Division, and was subsequently appointed Director General Operational Logistics and Strategic Movement before assuming command of XXXIII Corps in September 2019.[5] On 30 June 2023, he formally retired from the Army.[6]

Awards and decorations

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Dates of rank

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InsigniaRankComponentDate of rank
Second LieutenantIndian Army17 December 1983[1]
LieutenantIndian Army17 December 1985
CaptainIndian Army17 December 1988[9]
MajorIndian Army17 December 1994[10]
Lieutenant-ColonelIndian Army16 December 2004[11]
ColonelIndian Army15 March 2006[12]
BrigadierIndian Army18 March 2011 (with seniority from 1 September 2009)[13]
Major GeneralIndian Army3 April 2016 (with seniority from 23 August 2014)[14]
Lieutenant-GeneralIndian Army1 September 2018[15]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 29 June 1985. p. 902.
  2. 1 2 3 "Lt Gen Khanduri takes over as GOC-in-C, Western Command". The Tribune. 1 November 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  3. "Lt Gen Nav Khanduri takes charge as GOC-in-C of Western Command". 1 November 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  4. "World Forest Day observed in Valley". 14 March 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  5. "Lt. Gen Nav K Khanduri assumes charge as commander of Trishakti Corps". ANI News. 13 September 2019. Archived from the original on 21 September 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  6. "Lt Gen Nav K Khanduri relinquishes command of Western Army". Hindustan Times. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  7. "2016: List of Awardees". www.indianarmy.nic.in. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  8. "2019: List of Awardees". www.indianarmy.nic.in. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  9. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 16 September 1989. p. 1398.
  10. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 15 April 1995. p. 569.
  11. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 15 October 2005. p. 1898.
  12. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 20 December 2008. p. 2181.
  13. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 22 March 2014. p. 432.
  14. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 16 April 2022. p. 756.
  15. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 8 June 2019. p. 1350.