Bikram Singh (general)

General Bikram Singh, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC [1] (born 19 July 1952) is a retired Indian army officer who served as the 24th Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of the Indian Army. Previously the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the army's Eastern Command, he succeeded General V. K. Singh as COAS on May 31, 2012.[2] He retired on 31 July 2014.[3] He is the second Sikh to be COAS, the first having been General J. J. Singh.[4] He was also the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC) of the Indian armed forces.[5]

Chief of Staff of the United States Army, General Raymond T. Odierno speaking with Singh during an office call to The Pentagon in December 2013.

General
Bikram Singh
PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC
24th Chief of the Army Staff
In office
1 June 2012 – 31 July 2014
PresidentPratibha Patil
Pranab Mukherjee
Prime MinisterManmohan Singh
Narendra Modi
Preceded byV. K. Singh
Succeeded byDalbir Singh Suhag
Personal details
Born (1952-07-19) 19 July 1952
Amritsar, East Punjab, India
SpouseSurjeet Kaur
Alma materNational Defence Academy
Indian Military Academy
United States Army War College
Awards Param Vishisht Seva Medal
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal
Vishisht Seva Medal
Uttam Yudh Seva Medal
Sena Medal
Commander of the Legion of Merit
Military service
Allegiance India
Branch/service Indian Army
Years of service31 March 1972 – 31 July 2014
Rank General
UnitSikh Light Infantry
CommandsChairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee
Chief of the Army Staff
Eastern Command
Director-General, Staff Duties
XV Corps
MONUSCO Eastern Division
10th Infantry Division
Rashtriya Rifles

Military career

Born at Amritsar, he spent his early childhood with his family at Jammu. In 1962, he joined the Punjab Public School, Nabha. The future chief had considered becoming a doctor as he was an exceptional student of Zoology and Biology. But the wars of 1962 and 1965 motivated him to join the NDA in 1968. When asked whether he ever regrets the choice made, Bikram said, "If I were ever to be born again, I would only join the Indian Army."[2]

A graduate of the 40th course at the National Defence Academy,[6] Singh was commissioned into the Sikh Light Infantry on 31 March 1972. On passing out from IMA, he was awarded J&K Rifles Gold Medal in Leadership and Tactics and the Shrinagesh trophy in firing. He was adjudged the 'Best Young Officer' at the Young Officer's course at the Infantry School and was also awarded both the Commando Dagger for being the best commando and the 'Best in Tactics' trophy. He later was an instructor at the Commando and Weapons Wings of the Infantry School.[7]

He is also a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, Higher Command Course at Army War College, Mhow and US Army War College, Pennsylvania, USA, where he also won the ‘Annual Public Speaking Award’. Later in December 2013, he was inducted into the US Army War College ‘International Fellows Hall of Fame’. On 18 October 2013, he was awarded ‘The Legion of Merit’ by the United States government for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services.

The General’s Academic Qualifications include MSc (Defence Studies) from Madras University in 1986, M Phil (Defence & Management Studies) from Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore in 1997 and Master of Strategic Studies from US Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, USA in 2004. In addition, the General was conferred with two Honorary Degrees of ‘Doctorate of Science’ by SGGS World University, Punjab in 2016 by the Chief Minister of Punjab and GNDU, Amritsar on 31 May 2018 by the Union HRD Minister Sh. Prakash Javadekar.

Gen Bikram Singh has served in three UN missions in Nicaragua (ONUCA), El Salvador (ONUSAL) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC). While in the first two missions he was the Chief operations Officer, in MONUC, he was the General Officer Commanding of a Multinational Division in the Democratic Republic of Congo. His Division contributed immensely in the initiation of ‘Goma Peace Process’. During his tenure in Congo, the current Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army Qamar Javed Bajwa served under his command as a brigade commander.[8]

He has been the President of Indian Golf Union from 2012 to 2013 and the President of Indian Polo Association from June 2012 to 31 July 2014

After completing the Higher Command Course, he served his first tenure as a Director in the Military Operations (MO) Directorate. The tenure coincided with the Kargil War and he was the official spokesperson of the Army during that period. He went on to serve four important tenures at Army HQ: an additional tenure in the MO Directorate as the Deputy Director General, two tenures in the Perspective Planning Directorate, as the Deputy Director General of Perspective Planning (Strategy) and later, as the Additional Director General. He was posted back to the Army HQ as a Lieutenant General to serve as the Director General Staff Duties before taking over as Eastern Army Commander.[7] Colleagues remember him for being a 'soldier's soldier' for spending time and working hard with his troops on the ground.

He has held positions of General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command, XV Corps, GOC 10th Infantry Division, Commander of Rashtriya Rifles Sector and GOC of the Multi-National Eastern Division in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[7] He was wounded while posted as a Brigadier in Jammu & Kashmir, where he has spent much of his service.[9]

Retirement

Bikram Singh retired as Chief of Army Staff on 31 July 2014. He was succeeded by General Dalbir Singh Suhag.[10] Post retirement he has continuously expressed views on strategic Mountain Strike Corps (MSC), with presentations.[11]

Awards and decorations
Param Vishisht Seva Medal Uttam Yudh Seva Medal
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Sena Medal Vishisht Seva Medal Wound Medal
General Service Medal - Mizo Hills Special Service Medal Sangram Medal Operation Vijay Medal
Operation Parakram Medal Sainya Seva Medal High Altitude Service Medal Videsh Seva Medal
50th Independence Anniversary Medal 25th Independence Anniversary Medal 30 Years Long Service Medal 20 Years Long Service Medal
9 Years Long Service Medal ONUSAL MONUC ONUCA
Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States)

Dates of rank
InsigniaRankComponentDate of rank
Second LieutenantIndian Army31 March 1972[12]
LieutenantIndian Army31 March 1974[13]
CaptainIndian Army31 March 1978[14]
MajorIndian Army31 July 1984[15]
Lieutenant-ColonelIndian Army1 April 1992[16]
ColonelIndian Army1 January 1995[17]
BrigadierIndian Army29 March 2002[18]
Major GeneralIndian Army1 March 2006[19]
Lieutenant-GeneralIndian Army25 November 2008 (seniority from 1 November)[20]
General
(COAS)		Indian Army1 June 2012[21]

Family

Bikram Singh is married to Surjeet Kaur and the couple has two children.[22]

References
  1. "Chief of the Army Staff". indianarmy.nic.in. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  2. "Know your new army chief, General Bikram Singh". NDTV.
  3. "Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag to take over as army chief today". New Delhi: First Post. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  4. "Lt General Bikram Singh to succeed Indian army chie". Express Tribune. PPI. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  5. "General Bikram Singh takes over as most senior military chief". The Times of India. 30 December 2013. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  6. "Chiefs of Staff". National Defence Academy. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  7. "Know your new army chief, General Bikram Singh". ndtv.com. 31 May 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  8. Pandit, Rajat (27 November 2016). "General Qamar Javed Bajwa: Will Qamar Javed Bajwa be as hostile as Raheel Sharif to India?". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  9. "I have shed my blood in Kashmir Valley: Army Chief". 9 July 2012.
  10. "Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Will be the Next Chief of Army Staff". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  11. General Bikram Singh: ‘Political efforts shouldn’t lull us into complacency’
  12. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 3 November 1973. p. 1256.
  13. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 24 August 1974. p. 984.
  14. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 8 July 1978. p. 671.
  15. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 11 May 1985. p. 652.
  16. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 5 February 1994. p. 323.
  17. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 1 February 1997. p. 175.
  18. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 17 December 2005. p. 2491.
  19. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 14 April 2007. p. 605.
  20. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 21 March 2009. p. 565.
  21. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 17 November 2012. p. 1719.
  22. "Bikram Singh assumes charge as new Army chief". The Times Of India. 31 May 2012.
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