Nav Kumar Khanduri

Lieutenant General Nav Kumar Khanduri^[1] 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]

Lieutenant General Nav Kumar Khanduri PVSM, AVSM, VSM
Allegiance	India
Service / branch	Indian Army
Years of service	December 1983 – June 2023
Rank	Lieutenant-General
Service number	IC-41495M
Unit	27 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 mater	National Defence Academy Indian Military Academy Defence Services Staff College

Biography

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

He was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal in the 2016 Republic Day decorations list,^[7] the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in the 2021 Republic Day decorations list and ^[8] the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2023.

Param Vishisht Seva Medal	Ati Vishisht Seva Medal	Vishisht Seva Medal	Special Service Medal
Operation Vijay Medal	Operation Parakram Medal	Sainya Seva Medal	High Altitude Service Medal
Videsh Seva Medal	75th Anniversary of Independence Medal	50th Anniversary of Independence Medal	30 Years Long Service Medal
20 Years Long Service Medal	9 Years Long Service Medal	United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire	UN Transitional Authority, Cambodia

Dates of rank

Insignia	Rank	Component	Date of rank
	Second Lieutenant	Indian Army	17 December 1983[1]
	Lieutenant	Indian Army	17 December 1985
	Captain	Indian Army	17 December 1988[9]
	Major	Indian Army	17 December 1994[10]
	Lieutenant-Colonel	Indian Army	16 December 2004[11]
	Colonel	Indian Army	15 March 2006[12]
	Brigadier	Indian Army	18 March 2011 (with seniority from 1 September 2009)[13]
	Major General	Indian Army	3 April 2016 (with seniority from 23 August 2014)[14]
	Lieutenant-General	Indian Army	1 September 2018[15]

References

1. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 29 June 1985. p. 902.
2. "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. 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.

Military offices
Preceded by Ravendra Pal Singh	General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Command 1 November 2021–30 June 2023	Succeeded by Manoj Kumar Katiyar
Preceded by Chandi Prasad Mohanty	General Officer Commanding XXXIII Corps 13 September 2019–13 September 2020	Succeeded by Ajai Kumar Singh