Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Manoj Kumar Katiyar,

PVSM Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: , ) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of India. It is the highest peacetime medal of the Indian Armed Forces, and is awarded for "dist ...

AVSM Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM, ) is a military award of India given to recognize "distinguished service of an exceptional order" to all ranks of the armed forces. The award is a peacetime equivalent of Uttam Yuddh Seva Medal, which is a Wartime ...

is a serving

general officer A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

of the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

. He currently serves as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Command. He earlier served as the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) at IHQ of MoD (Army), prior to that he was General Officer Commanding I Corps. He is also the Colonel of the

Rajput Regiment The Rajput Regiment is one of the oldest infantry regiments of the Indian Army. The regiment traces its history back to 1778, when the 24th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry was formed. The regiment's 1st Battalion was later formed in 1798 ...

since 1 February 2022.

Early life and education

The general officer is an alumnus of

Sainik School The Sainik Schools () are a system of Military high schools in India established and managed by the Sainik Schools Society () under Ministry of Defence (MoD). They were conceived in 1961 by V. K. Krishna Menon, the then Defence Minister of Indi ...

, Ghorakhal. He then attended the

National Defence Academy The National Defence Academy (NDA) is the joint defence service training institute of the Indian Armed Forces. Here, cadets of the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force train together before they go on to their respective service a ...

and the

Indian Military Academy The Indian Military Academy (IMA) is one of the oldest military academies in India, and trains officers for the Indian Army. Located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, it was established in 1932 following a recommendation by a military committee set up ...

. He has done all important courses to include Defence Services Staff Course, Wellington and National Defence College course. Besides, he is also a Distinguished graduate of

National War College In the United States, the National War College (NWC) is a school within the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National ...

, USA.https://indianarmy.nic.in/leaders/leaders-site-main/army-commanders

Military career

He was commissioned into the 23th battalion of the

in June 1986 from the

Dehradun Dehradun (), also known as Dehra Doon, is the winter capital and the List of cities in Uttarakhand by population, most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Dehradun district, d ...

. In a distinguished career spanning over 37 years he has served across vivid terrains and has undertaken many staff and instructional appointments. He has served in

Siachen Glacier The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range of the Himalayas, just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends in northeastern Kashmir. At long, it is the longest glaci ...

, along LC both in 15 & 16 Corps and along LAC in 3, 14 and 33 Corps. He commanded his battalion twice; in Uri Sect and at Taksing in Western RALP. He commanded an Infantry Brigade along Western Borders, Army HQ Res Mountain Division along Northern Borders. He has been an instructor in Indian Military Training Team in Bhutan and a Directing Staff at

Defence Services Staff College The Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) is a defence service training institution of the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. It trains officers of all three services of the Indian Armed Forces – (Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air ...

. The general officers' staff appointments include a Grade 1 post in Military Operations Directorate, Brigadier General Staff appointments in HQ Corps and in HQ Central Command and Director General of Staff Duties at IHQ of MoD (Army), New Delhi. On 5 April 2021, he took over as the

General Officer Commanding General officer commanding (GOC) is the usual title given in the armies of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth (and some other nations, such as Ireland) to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC ...

I Corps from

C. P. Cariappa. After completing his term as I Corps Commander, on 11 May 2022 he assumed the appointment as the Director General of Military Operations. On 1 July 2023,

Manoj Kumar Katiyar took over as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Command succeeding

Nav K Khanduri when the latter superannuated from service on 30 June 2023.

Personal life

He is married to Mrs Shuchi Katiyar, a homemaker, and the couple is blessed with two sons; Achintya Katiyar is working in an IT Company in

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

and Kushagra Katiyar is pursuing graduation.

Awards and decorations

The General officer has been awarded with the

Param Vishisht Seva Medal Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: , ) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of India. It is the highest peacetime medal of the Indian Armed Forces, and is awarded for "dist ...

in 2025 and the

Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM, ) is a military award of India given to recognize "distinguished service of an exceptional order" to all ranks of the armed forces. The award is a peacetime equivalent of Uttam Yuddh Seva Medal, which is a Wartime D ...

in 2021

Dates of rank

References

{{s-end Living people Indian generals Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal Recipients of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Recipients of the Vishisht Seva Medal Indian Army officers Commanders in chief Year of birth missing (living people)