Joginder Jaswant Singh

General Joginder Jaswant Singh (born 17 September 1945) was the 22nd Chief of the Army Staff (COAS)of the Indian Army. He was appointed on November 27, 2004, and took over the role when his predecessor, General N C Vij, retired on 31 January 2005. He was succeeded by General Deepak Kapoor. He served as the COAS from January 31, 2005, to September 30, 2007.

He is the first Sikh to have led the Indian Army and the 11th chief of army staff from the Western Command based at Chandimandir. His selection was not a surprise, as at the time of his appointment he was the most senior officer in the army after General N C Vij. Following his retirement, he became Governor of the state of Arunachal Pradesh on 27 January 2008.

He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and was commissioned into the 9 Maratha Light Infantry on 2 August 1964.

Biography

Early life