Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, who was called by Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) to initiate talks on a ceasefire last month, was made Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) on Monday. In addition, he remains the DGMO. The Deputy Chief (Strategy) is a new vertical to represent and manage the Operations and Intelligence Directorates and other key branches of the Indian Army.
According to an official LinkedIn post from the Ministry of Defence, the Deputy Chief of the Army Staff position is possibly the most important appointment in the Indian Army. On June 4, Lt Gen Ghai, was presented with the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal (UYSM) during the Defence Investiture Ceremony 2025 (Phase-II), for his distinguished service.
In a press conference on May 12, two days after the cease fire was announced with Pakistan, after Operation Sindoor had concluded, Lt Gen Ghai had discussed the preparedness and joint maturity in the response by the Indian armed forces.
The operation targeted ‘terrorist’ targets, using precision and affected them without crossing above the Line of Control or the International Boundary.
Earlier this year, Lt Gen Ghai visited Manipur to examine the situation in Manipur, especially along the Indo-Myanmar Border, on February 25. He met with several key state officials including Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, the State Security Advisor, the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police. The visit to the conflict-impacted region was to assess the operational preparedness of the Indian Army while examining the status of border infrastructure projects currently under construction.
Lt Gen Ghai is a senior officer from the Kumaon Regiment and has held multiple key operational positions during his military career. As the GOC of the Chinar Corps before becoming DGMO, he was the head of counter-insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir. Lt Gen Ghai became DGMO on October 25 of last year.
