A Defense spokesperson said that Major General Abhijit S. Pendharkar handed over command of the elite Vajr Division to Major General Girish Kalia on Wednesday.
The spokesperson said that Major General Girish Kalia joined the MADRAS Regiment on December 14, 1991, after getting his commission from the IMA in Dehradun.
He said that the General Officer went to the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun and took important courses at the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington, the Army War College in Mhow, and the National Defence College in New Delhi.
He has a Master of Science and a Master of Philosophy in Defense and Strategic Studies. The General Officer has a lot of operational experience. He or she has worked in places like the North East and Jammu and Kashmir, where they had to fight against rebels and terrorists.
A spokesperson said that he was given the GOC-in-C Northern Command Commendation Card in 2001, the GOC-in-C Southern Command Commendation Card in 2009, and the Vishisht Seva Medal in 2020 for his outstanding service while leading a difficult brigade on the Line of Control.
The General Officer has a lot of experience in Command, Staff, and Instructional positions. For example, he was in charge of an infantry battalion as part of an infantry brigade and strike corps on the Line of Control. He was also the Defense Attache in Egypt. Before taking charge of the prestigious Vajr Division, he was in charge of an important position at Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff, the report said.
