Lieutenant General Devraj Anbu, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, ADC is a retired Indian Army general who served as Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS). He assumed office on 1 June 2018 following the retirement of Lt Gen Sarath Chand,[2] and retired on 31 August 2019.[3][4]
Devraj Anbu | |
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| Allegiance |  India |
| Service/ |  Indian Army |
| Years of service | 7 June 1980 – 31 August 2019 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant General |
| Service number | IC-38654[1] |
| Unit | 14 Sikh Light Infantry |
| Commands held |  Northern Army IV Corps17 Mountain Division 53 Infantry Brigade |
| Battles/wars | Operation Parakram Operation Pawan Operation Meghdoot |
| Awards |  Param Vishisht Seva Medal  Uttam Yudh Seva Medal Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Yudh Seva Medal Sena Medal |
He also served as General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Northern Command from 1 December 2016 to 31 May 2018.[5][6][7] Before Commanding Northern Command, he had commanded IV Corps in the North East.
Early life and education
Anbu is an alumnus of Sainik School, Amaravathinagar; National Defence Academy, Pune and Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. He also attended the higher command course at Army War College, Mhow and a National Defence College equivalent university at Jakarta, Indonesia.[6][8]
Career
Anbu was commissioned into 14th Sikh Light Infantry on 7 June 1980. He has vast experience and has served in all types of operational environments ranging including Siachen Glacier; Counter-Insurgency Operations in Kashmir and Manipur; Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka. He has commanded a unit during Operation Parakram; a 53 Infantry brigade on the Line Of Control; 17 Mountain Division in Sikkim; Indian Military Training Team in Bhutan; IV Corps (Tezpur). He has held staff appointments which include General Staff Operation at the Division level in North-East India, General Staff Operation at Corps Level in Kashmir, and Military observer with UN peacekeeping mission in Namibia (UNTAG).[6][9][8][10]
During 37 years of his career he has been awarded the Sena Medal for Operation Meghdoot, Yudh Seva Medal (2010) for command of 53 Infantry brigade, the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal for the command of 17 Mountain division, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal (2016) and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (2017) for his service as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command.[11] He is also the Colonel Of The Regiment of the Sikh Light Infantry .[6][12][13]
Honours and decorations
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Dates of rank
| Insignia | Rank | Component | Date of rank |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Second Lieutenant | Indian Army | 7 June 1980[1] |
 | Lieutenant | Indian Army | 7 June 1982[14] |
 | Captain | Indian Army | 7 June 1985[15] |
 | Major | Indian Army | 7 June 1991[16] |
 | Lieutenant-Colonel | Indian Army | 31 December 2002[17] |
 | Colonel | Indian Army | 1 February 2005[18] |
 | Brigadier | Indian Army | 1 August 2008 (seniority from 7 January 2008)[19] |
 | Major General | Indian Army | 1 January 2013 (seniority from 4 April 2011)[20] |
| | Lieutenant-General | Indian Army | 12 October 2015 (substantive)[21] |
Personal life
Lt Gen Anbu's father late Shri. Devaraj also rendered his services in Army. They hail from an agricultural family from Madurai, Usilampatti, Vagaikulam village. He is married to Mrs Gowri Anbu and they have a son who is serving in the Indian Army. He likes yoga, painting and gardening.[6]