Lt General Upendra Dwivedi to assume charge of Northern Command as new Commander on Tuesday
UDHAMPUR, JANUARY 31: Northern Command on Monday bid farewell to General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Lieutenant General Y K Joshi after he relinquished the command at Udhampur.
Lt General Joshi, who was appointed GOC-in-C of the Northern Comand on February 1, 2020, has been succeeded by Lt General Upendra Dwivedi who will assume charge of the command as new Northern Army Commander on Tuesday.
Lieutenant General YK Joshi was commissioned into 13 JAK RIF (Bravest of The Brave) on June 12, 1982 and he later commanded the same unit. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and a postgradutate from the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, the General Officer also attended the prestigious National Defence College Course at New Delhi.
The General Officer has had command experience spanning the entire mosaic, covering all theatres. He commanded 13 JAK RIF in Operation VIJAY and PARAKRAM. He caught the attention of the nation during the Kargil War with his outstanding leadership and led his unit to unprecedented success.
In Operation VIJAY under his command the unit was awarded with a total of 37 gallantry awards including two PARAM VIR CHAKRA, eight VIR CHAKRA and fourteen SENA MEDAL. The unit has also been awarded with the Chief of Army Staff Unit Citation and the “Bravest of Brave” award.
The General officer himself was awarded the VIR CHAKRA during his command of 13 JAK RIF in the operations.
Lt Gen Joshi has commanded an Infantry Brigade in Tangtse, Infantry Division in Karu and Corps in Leh. He has also served as Director General Infantry and was instrumental in catalyzing the modernization drive of the Infantry. He was the Chief of Staff, Northern Command before taking over the reigns of Northern Command as Army Commander.
The General Officer has had tenures as Instructor at Infantry School, Mhow and varied staff exposure, including staff appointment at Military Operations Directorate and as Defence Attache to Beijing (China). He has also served as Military Observer in United Nations, Angola.
A seasoned professional with four decades of military leadership in the field of National Security, Planning and Management of Military Operations at National level, Disaster Management, Macro-level training of Indian Army and management of conventional and sub-conventional conflict in the UTs of J&K and Ladakh in High Altitude as well as Super High Altitude terrain conditions.
Lt Gen YK Joshi will continue to inspire the future generations of army officers to emulate his sterling qualities, firm resolve to follow the righteous path under all circumstances, sense of justice and strategic thinking as a General and statesman. The General Officer was given an emotional send-off by the Northern Command through a simple farewell ceremony. As part of the ceremony he laid a wreath at the Dhruva war Memorial on 30 Jan 2022 in remembrance of all the soldiers of Northern Command who have laid down their lives in various operations. Lieutenant General YK Joshi will keep on inspiring the Officers of the Indian Army in the times to come.
