Rajiv Ghai,

UYSM Uttam Yudh Seva Medal (UYSM; ''Great War Service Medal'') is one of India's military decorations for Wartime Distinguished Service. It is awarded for a high degree of distinguished services in an operational context. "Operational context" includes ...

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 ...

, SM*** is a senior general officer in 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 ...

serving as Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy). He previously served as the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO). He has held various command and strategic positions, particularly in the region of Jammu and Kashmir.

Career

Ghai has significant experience in counter-insurgency and border management, particularly along the

Line of Control The Line of Control (LoC) is a military control line between the Indian and Pakistanicontrolled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary, but ser ...

. He led

Operation Sindoor Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

and plays a key role in India–Pakistan ceasefire talks and confidence-building measures. As DGMO, he oversees strategic planning, military operations, and operational readiness of the Indian Army. On June 2025, he has been appointed as Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy). An avid cricket fan, he explained India's layered air defence performance during operation Sindoor using an Australian cricket analogy, "If Thommo Don’t Get You, Lillee surely must". He explained in great detail the destruction of 11 Pakistani airbases along with numerous aircraft with the help of irrefutable proof to include high resolution satellite imagery. He also estimated loss of 40-42 Pakistani service personnel during the IAF action on 10 May 2025.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghai, Rajiv Living people Indian generals Indian Army officers Deputy chiefs of Army Staff (India)