Chandigarh: Lieutenant General Manoj Kumar Katiyar, AVSM, has assumed the charge of General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Western Command. On assuming the appointment of Army Commander, General Katiyar laid a wreath at Veer Smriti, paying homage to the brave hearts who have made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.

An alumnus of National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, Lieutenant General Katiyar was commissioned into the 23rd Battalion The Rajput Regiment in June 1986. He is a graduate of the prestigious Defence Service Staff College, National Defence College and he is also a distinguished graduate of National War College, USA.  The General Officer is also the Colonel of The Rajput Regiment.

In a career spanning over 37 years, General Katiyar has served across a wide spectrum of operational areas in Siachen Glacier, along Line of Control both in 15 & 16 Corps and along Line of Actual Control in 3, 14 and 33 Corps.  He has tenanted a host of important Command, Staff and Instructional appointments. The General Officer has served as an instructor in the Indian Military Training Team in Bhutan and the Defence Services Staff College Wellington.

He commanded his battalion twice, in Uri Sect and at Taksing in Western RALP.  The General has the distinction of commanding an Infantry Brigade along the Western Borders, Army Headquarters Reserve Mountain Division along Northern Borders and Mountain Strike Corps responsible for offensive operations. His staff appointments include a tenure in Military Operations Directorate and Brigadier General Staff in Headquarters 3 Corps, Headquarters Central Command and Director General of Staff Duties in Army Headquarters. /BI/