Lt Gen Sandeep Jain Assumes Charge as GOC-in-C Southern Command
New Delhi: Sandeep Jain assumed charge as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of the Southern Command on April 1, 2026. He succeeds Dhiraj Seth, who has taken over as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Lt Gen Jain was commissioned into the Mahar Regiment in June 1988. Over a distinguished career spanning nearly four decades, he has held a wide range of command and staff appointments across diverse operational environments.
He has commanded an infantry battalion in semi-developed terrain and served in a United Nations mission in South Sudan. His leadership roles include commanding an infantry brigade in a strike corps, a counter-insurgency force, and a pivot corps in the Northern Command. His operational experience includes participation in Operation Pawan, service as a UN Military Observer in Ethiopia, and multiple tenures along the Line of Control and in high-altitude and counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast. He also serves as the Colonel of the Mahar Regiment.
Prior to taking over the Southern Command, Lt Gen Jain served as Chief of Staff at the Southern Command Headquarters, where he contributed significantly to capability development, force restructuring, and overall operational preparedness.
He has attended the Higher Command Course at the Army War College and the National Defence Course in Kenya. In recognition of his distinguished service, he has been awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and the Sena Medal.
Upon assuming command, Lt Gen Jain paid tribute to fallen soldiers at the Southern Command War Memorial and received a Guard of Honour at the headquarters. He emphasized that the command will continue to focus on operational readiness across its diverse areas of responsibility, including deserts, the Rann and creek sectors, coastline, island territories, and hinterland regions.
He also stressed strengthening jointness, enhancing indigenous capabilities, and adopting technology under the JAI (Jointness and Integration) framework. Addressing all ranks, he called for maintaining high standards of preparedness, professionalism, and combat readiness in line with evolving operational challenges.