Lt Gen DEEPENDRA SINGH HOODA, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM & Bar, ADC

Lt Gen Hooda joined the 4th Gorkha Rifles in 1976, serving in Nagaland during the Naga insurgency. He attended Canada's Command and Staff College and played a key role in setting up the UN Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea. He led disaster relief during the 2005 Jammu and Kashmir earthquake. As a major general in Manipur, he managed counterinsurgency operations. From 2012 to 2016, he handled border challenges in Jammu and Kashmir, overseeing the 2014 Chumar incident and the 2016 surgical strikes. Lt Gen Hooda, a recipient of several military awards, retired in 2016 after four decades of service. He now contributes his expertise to various organizations and publications.