SRINAGAR: Major General Girish Kalia on Wednesday assumed charge as General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the elite Vajr Division from Major General Abhijit S Pendharkar, a Defence spokesperson said here.

Major Gen Girish Kalia was commissioned on 14 December 1991 from IMA, Dehradun into the MADRAS Regiment, the spokesperson said.

An alumnus of the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, the General Officer has attended all-important career courses at Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, Army War College, Mhow and National Defence College, New Delhi, he said.

His higher qualification includes MSc & M Phil in Defence & Strategic Studies. The General Officer has vast operational experience having served in intense Counter Insurgency / Counter Terrorist operations in North East & Jammu and Kashmir.

For his distinguished service, he has been awarded GOC-in-C Northern Command Commendation Card in 2001, GOC-in-C Southern Command Commendation Card in 2009 and Vishisht Seva Medal in 2020 while commanding a challenging brigade on the Line of Control, the spokesperson said.

The General Officer brings with him a rich experience of various Command, Staff and Instructional appointments including the command of an Infantry battalion as part of an Infantry Brigade and Strike Corps on the Line of Control, Defence Attache in Egypt. He was tenanting an important appointment at Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff prior to assuming the Command of the prestigious Vajr Division, it added.