Joginder Jaswant Singh | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 13th Governor of Arunachal Pradesh | |
| In office 26 January 2008 – 28 May 2013 | |
| Appointed by | President of India(thenPratibha Patil) |
| Chief Minister | Dorjee Khandu Jarbom Gamlin Nabam Tuki |
| Preceded by | K. Sankaranarayanan(Additional Charge) |
| Succeeded by | Nirbhay Sharma |
| 47thChairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee | |
| In office 31 March 2007 – 30 September 2007 | |
| President | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Pratibha Patil |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Preceded by | Shashindra Pal Tyagi |
| Succeeded by | Sureesh Mehta |
| 21stChief of the Army Staff | |
| In office 1 February 2005 – 31 August 2007 | |
| President | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Pratibha Patil |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Preceded by | Nirmal Chander Vij |
| Succeeded by | Deepak Kapoor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1945-09-17)17 September 1945 (age 80) |
| Political party | Shiromani Akali Dal (2017–2019) Shiromani Akali Dal (Taksali) (2019–2022) Bharatiya Janata Party (2022 – present) |
| Relations | Jaswant Singh Marwah (Father) |
| Writing(s) |
|
| Nickname | General JJ |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  India |
| Branch/service |  Indian Army |
| Years of service | Aug 1964 – 30 September 2007 |
| Rank |  General |
| Unit |  9Maratha Light Infantry |
| Commands | .png) Western ArmyArmy Training Command (ARTRAC)  I Corps9th Infantry Division 79th (Independent) Mountain Brigade 5Maratha LI 9Maratha LI |
| Battles/wars | Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Kargil War Operation Parakram |
| Service number | IC-16078[1] |
| Award(s) | |
GeneralJoginder Jaswant Singh,PVSM,AVSM,VSM,ADC (born 17 September 1945), commonly known asJJ Singh, is an Indian politician and former Army Chief. He was the 21stChief of the Army Staff (COAS) of theIndian Army. He was appointed on 27 November 2004, and took over the role when his predecessor, GeneralNC Vij, retired on 31 January 2005.[2] He was succeeded by GeneralDeepak Kapoor. He served as the COAS from 31 January 2005, to 30 September 2007.
He is the firstSikh to have led theIndian Army and the 11th chief of army staff from theWestern Command based atChandimandir. At the time of his appointment he was the most senior officer in the army after GeneralNC Vij. Following his retirement, he becameGovernor of the state ofArunachal Pradesh on 27 January 2008.[3][4]
Joginder Jaswant Singh was born in a military family inSamma Satta. He is aSikh Khatri of Sareen sub-caste with origins fromRawalpindi.[5] He is the first child ofLieutenant ColonelJaswant Singh Marwah (born 1921) and his wife Jaspal Kaur (1923–2006).[citation needed] Sama Satta was then a town in theprincely state ofBahawalpur State, now part ofPakistan. His family originated from the town ofDaultala, now also in Pakistan, Rawalpindi District. He is a third-generation soldier; his paternal grandfatherSepoy (Private) Atma Singh Marwah (1896–1968) enlisted in the 1/67 Punjab Regiment of theBritish Indian Army as a drummer in 1914, and fought at theSiege of Kut in theMesopotamian Campaign during theFirst World War. Wounded in his right elbow and arm early on, he was evacuated and sent to recuperate in the south of France, after which he was discharged from the army in 1918. Joginder's father, Jaswant, is a veteran of theSecond World War who passed out from the Indian Military Academy in April 1943 and was commissioned into the Royal Indian Army Service Corps. In 1943, he was posted to the Reserve Supply Depot atKarachi, and married his wife Jaspal Kaur in December 1944. In February 1945, he was posted to Sama Satta and given command of a petroleum sub-depot; Joginder was born that September.[6] After independence and Partition in August 1947, the family migrated toPatiala in India. In 1948, Jaswant transferred to theIndian Army Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers as a captain.
Growing up, Joginder and his family lived in different army cantonments across north India, as his father was frequently transferred. As an army brat, Joginder naturally took to army life and culture. He received his early education in Catholic convent schools, St. Anne's in Secunderabad and St Mary's Presentation Convent in Jammu, where his father was stationed from 1956 to 1960 as a major commanding the Recovery Company. In 1958, he transferred to Model Academy in Jammu and matriculated in 1960.[7] While Jaswant was posted to Udhampur in 1959, the family remained in Jammu.
In January 1961, Joginder joined the 25th course of theNational Defence Academy, and was still a cadet when theSino-Indian War broke out in 1962. The deputy commandant of the NDA at the time, Brigadier Hoshiar Singh, was given command of a brigade under the 4th Infantry Division and was killed in action. Largely unprepared for war and humiliated by its defeats, the Indian armed forces underwent a large-scale expansion after hostilities ended, with emergency commissions given to several thousand candidates from 1963 to 1965. The one-year training at the NDA was shortened to seven months, as a result of which Joginder and his class were commissioned early as second lieutenants on 2 August 1964, with Joginder receiving his officer's pips from his father at the passing-out ceremony. His grandfather Atma Singh also gave him his blessing, saying, "God willing, the son of a private shall be a Karnail, and the son of the Karnail shall be a Jarnail!"[8]
Gen. Singh is an alumnus of theNational Defence Academy and was commissioned into the 9Maratha Light Infantry on 2 August 1964. He received the colour of the battalion from the late president Dr.Zakir Husain at the Investiture Parade in 1968.
During his tenure with the 7th and 9th Maratha LI and also while on higher command and staff appointments, General Singh has served inJammu & Kashmir,Nagaland,Arunachal Pradesh,Sikkim, andJyotirmath inUttarakhand. He was awarded theVishisht Seva Medal during his command tenure with the 9 Maratha Light Infantry in Arunachal Pradesh. He later commanded the 5th Maratha LI atHyderabad in the rank ofcolonel. A consistent front-runner, he was the youngest and one of the first in his batch to attend Staff College, Senior Command, Higher Command and National Defence College courses. He has contributed articles to regimental and other professional journals and his thesis on "Sino-Indian Border Dispute" and "Strategy to Boost Defence Exports" have been highly acclaimed. He also has the honour of being India's firstDefence attaché toAlgeria (1987–1990).
After returning from Algeria, General Singh commanded the 79th (Independent) Mountain Brigade in theBaramula Sector,Jammu & Kashmir, during the peak of insurgency there in 1991–92. During this tenure, he was gravely wounded in action leading from the front, in a fierce engagement with terrorists infiltrating across theLine of Control (LoC). For that operation, he received the War Wound Medal and was awarded the Chief of Army Staff's Commendation. He was nominated to attend the prestigiousNational Defence College (NDC) course in 1993. He was posted as Deputy Director General Operational Logistics in Army HQ after the NDC Course.
Singh commanded the 9th Infantry Division from 1996 to 1998. He was then selected for a key appointment as the Additional Director General Military Operations (ADGMO) at Army HQ, Military Operations Directorate. During his tenure as ADGMO, he contributed positively to evolving India's policy on the Sino-Indian border issue and visitedBeijing as part of the Joint Working Group. He was also part of the Ministry of Defence team for talks with Pakistan on theSiachen and Sir Creek issue in 1998. He also visitedSierra Leone with the defence minister, where an Indian contingent carried out successful operations as part of theUN Mission. As the ADGMO, he became the Indian Army's public face during the 1999Kargil conflict. He was decorated with theAti Vishisht Seva Medal in recognition of his services in the planning and execution of the war.
General Singh assumed command of the elite 1Strike Corps atMathura. He successfully coordinated the corps-level exercisePoorna Vijay in May 2001 in the deserts ofRajasthan. He subsequently ledI Corps duringOperation Parakram, the military standoff against Pakistan, from December 2001 to December 2002. He was then appointed GOC-in-C of the Army Training Command (ARTRAC) in January 2003, where he was credited with drafting a new doctrine for the Indian Army. He was instrumental in giving the Command a distinctly discernible and widely appreciated thrust towards modernisation. After his stint at ARTRAC, he stated, "Every assignment has its own importance, but the one at ARTRAC, the think-tank of the Army, has been quite different as it plays a crucial role in preparing the Army for future challenges in a constantly changing battlefield milieu. The responsibility involved development of new concepts and doctrines at the strategic and operational levels for the emerging security environment, besides framing of the training policy and providing training support to the Army in all its facets." He was awarded theParam Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) on 26 January 2004 for his distinguished services of the highest order.
General Singh took over as theGeneral Officer Commanding-in-ChiefWestern Command on 1 February 2004, and his tenure at this elite command provided an opportunity to put into practice the concepts and doctrines evolved at ARTRAC. He refined operational planning by co-opting the battle-winning role of Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) and provided focused direction based on the recently released "Doctrine for the Indian Army", having earlier been its architect. He simultaneously gave training a visionary direction in conjunction with principles of synergetic cohesiveness at all levels. His tenure at Western Command also saw a quantum leap in the implementation of the Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS). He was also appointed as Honoraryaide-de-camp (ADC) to thePresident of India on 1 February 2004.
"We fight to win and win with a knock out, because there are no runners up in war."
Gen. Joginder Jaswant Singh assumed command of the Indian Army, as the 22nd chief of army staff, on 31 January 2005 commanding an army of over a million soldiers.[10] On assuming the office of Chief of Army Staff on 1 February 2005, General Singh stated in a message, "We stand poised at a critical juncture in the timeline of history. Having left behind us the vagaries of the past, we purposefully stride towards economic growth, social harmony, peace and prosperity. Simultaneously and seamlessly, we are also making the transition to a highly motivated and modern Army, driven by the engines of high technology and Revolution in Military Affairs. I assure our countrymen that the Army will remain at the service of the nation, at all times, ready and eager to take on any challenge with determination and resolve to emerge victorious."[citation needed] He is widely considered to be a thinking soldier and is a through professional.squash, and golf. He is also a keen mountaineer who has trained under the lateTenzing Norgay at theHimalayan Mountaineering Institute,Darjeeling. Affectionately known as "General JJ" within army circles, he was appointed Colonel of the Maratha Light Infantry on 10 October 2001. He is an ace shooter and plays basketball.
He joined theShiromani Akali Dal in the presence of party president and Deputy Chief Minister of PunjabSukhbir Singh Badal. He unsuccessfully contested against CaptainAmarinder Singh fromPatiala Urban seat in2017 Punjab Legislative Assembly election[11][12][13][14] as theShiromani Akali Dal candidate.[15]
In 2019 he joinedShiromani Akali Dal (Taksali) and contested and lost fromKhadoor Sahib (Lok Sabha constituency). In 2022 he joinedBharatiya Janata Party.[16]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INC | Amarinder Singh | 72,586 | 68.98 | ||
| AAP | Dr. Balbir Singh | 20,179 | 19.18 | ||
| SAD | GenJ.J. Singh | 11,677 | 11.10 | ||
| HSS | Kshama Kant Pandey | 291 | 0.28 | ||
| NOTA | None of the above | 1,090 | 1.04 | ||
| Majority | 52,407 | 49.31 | |||
| Turnout | 1,06,436 | 67.00 | |||
| Registered electors | 158,855 | [18] | |||
| INChold | Swing | ||||
He is married to Mrs Anupama Singh and they have a son and a daughter. Singh and his wife both belong to the Marwah clan, though neither uses the name as their surname.
He is fluent inArabic andFrench, the widely spoken languages in Algeria.
In 2016, he was decorated by the French government as an Officer of theLegion of Honour.[19]
A Soldier's General published in 2012 is an autobiography of Singh.[20]The McMahon Line – A Century of Discord written by Singh, provides a detailed description of theborder dispute between India and China.[21]
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| Insignia | Rank | Component | Date of rank |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Second Lieutenant | Indian Army | 2 August 1964[22] |
 | Lieutenant | Indian Army | 2 August 1966[23] |
 | Captain | Indian Army | 2 August 1970[1] |
 | Major | Indian Army | 2 August 1977[24] |
 | Lieutenant-Colonel | Indian Army | 17 August 1984 (substantive)[25] |
 | Colonel | Indian Army | 23 February 1987[26] |
 | Brigadier | Indian Army | 1 December 1991[27] |
 | Major General | Indian Army | 1 February 1997[28] |
 | Lieutenant-General | Indian Army | 1 April 2001[29] |
| General (COAS) | Indian Army | 31 January 2005 |
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee 2007-2007 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief of Army Staff 2005–2007 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | General Officer Commanding-in-ChiefWestern Command 2004–2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by H B Kala | General Officer Commanding-in-ChiefArmy Training Command January 2003 – January 2004 | Succeeded by K Nagaraj |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Arunachal Pradesh 2008–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army (1947–1948) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Chief of the Army Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army (1948–1955) | ||
| Chief of the Army Staff (1955–present) |
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(**Seconded from theBritish Army) | ||
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