Ex Chief of the Army Staff,

General Deepak Kapoor, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM was commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery on 11 Jun 1967 and has held important Staff and Command appointments in his illustrious military career spanning over 43 years. 

1. An alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, he was selected to do the prestigious Higher Command and National Defence College Courses. In addition, he has represented the country as the Chief Operations Officer for the United Nations Force deployed in Somalia from 1994 to 1995, for which, he was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) in Jan 1996 by the Honourable President of India. 

2. The General Officer has taken active part in 1971 operations launched for the Liberation of  Bangladesh.

3. During his active service as a Brigade Commander deployed on the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, the General was awarded the Sena Medal (SM) in January 1998.

4. He was selected to command one of the most prestigious Divisions of the Indian Army- the RAM Division as part of a Strike Corps, during OP PARAKRAM. As a General officer, he has been the Chief of Staff of 4 Corps in the North East, actively involved in fighting insurgency in Assam and thereafter commanded the 33 Corps deployed on the sensitive Indo-China border. For his excellent command of the Corps and outstanding contribution to future plans of the India Army for the Eastern borders, the General Officer was awarded Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) in Jan 2006. 

5. On promotion as Army Commander, he commanded the Army Training Command at Shimla. Within a short span and due to his vast experience of having successfully served in J&K, he was handpicked to take over the largest and the most sensitive command of the Indian Army i.e. the Northern Command from 05 Sep 2005 to 31 Dec 2006.  

Immediately after taking over as Northern Army Commander, the state of J&K was devastated by a massive earthquake on 08 Oct 2005. It was primarily due to the tremendous disaster relief effort launched by the Northern Command under Gen. Deepak Kapoor’s guidance and planning, that the damage and destruction of the populace was minimised and succour provided throughout the state. As a result of his sustained efforts and measures incorporated in the Army’s functioning in J&K, both the violence levels and infiltration came down appreciably in the State of J&K. For his efforts, the General Officer was awarded Param Vishist Seva Medal (PVSM) in Jan 2007 by the Honourable President of India.

6. On 01 Jan 07, he took over the coveted appointment of the Vice Chief of the Army Staff, a position he held till he took over as the Chief of the Army Staff. In this appointment, he laid emphasis on the modernisation of the Army to make it one of the finest Armies of the world.

7. The General Officer took over as the Chief of the Army Staff on 30 Sep 07. During his tenure as the Army Chief, the state of J&K was brought to near normalcy with violence levels brought down to minimal, reduction of Army deployment in J&K by approx 30,000 troops  and conduct of both Parliamentary and Assembly Elections in J&.K in a stable and peaceful environment with voter turnout of over 60%.

In the North East, during his tenure the ULFA was completely marginalised in Assam precarious situation in NC Hills stabilised and insurgency in Manipur which had expanded to alarming proportions contained systematically. The Army also played a key part in stabilising the situation during Gujjar & Gorkha land agitations in other parts of the country.

8. Gen Kapoor took over as Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee on 01 act 2009 in addition to being Army Chief till he superannuated on 31 Mar 2010. As Chairman COSC, he was instrumental in bringing about Tri- Service synergy in the vital areas of operational planning and training. As part of the strategic planning process, his advice to the political hierarchy on all issues concerning National Security were conveyed after detailed deliberation in a forthright and frank manner.

9. The General has an abiding interest in self-education, self-improvement and acquisition of knowledge, in pursuance of which, while in service and involved in professional activities, he did his Bachelor of Arts privately. Thereafter, he has obtained Masters Degrees in Political Science and in Military Science. He also holds a Masters degree in BusinessAdministration from Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi.