Chairs of Excellence

Admiral RD Katari Chair
Lt Gen Dushyant Singh, PVSM, AVSM (Retd)
Lt Gen Dushyant Singh, PVSM, AVSM (Retd) was commissioned into the 9 MARATAHA LI in Dec 81. He is an alumni of NDC, DSSC, CDM, and Naval Post Graduate School California, USA. The General Officer has commanded an Infantry Battalion, Brigade, and a Division in Jammu and Kashmir. He has also held the appointments of IG (operations), NSG, Chief of Staff of Eastern Command, GOC Corps, and Commandant Army War College. He has been awarded ‘Ati Vishisht Seva Medal’ and ‘Param Vishisht Seva Medal’ for his distinguished services. He is currently Professor Emeritus Defence Studies at Gujarat Raksha Shakti University. He contributes regularly in various defence journals, newspapers, and has written chapters in two books “Understanding Suicide Terrorism” and “Countering Terrorism: Psychological Strategies” by Sage Publication.
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Assam Rifles Chair of Excellence
Mr Jitesh Khosla, IAS (Retd)
Mr Jitesh Khosla, retired as Chief Secretary, Assam in 2015. He held several assignments both in the Central and State Governments involving development of infrastructure, devising and implementing frameworks for corporate law and Regulation and Economic Affairs. He has actively engaged in law and order and internal security related issues and has dealt with militancy, insurgency and terrorism in the North East in close coordination with the security forces. Post retirement, in addition to supporting sustainability and agriculture related initiatives, he has remained actively engaged in economic development and national security issues with focus on the North East. He is a recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Administration and the National Award for e-Governance 2007-2008 among others, and has been instrumental in setting up several capacity building institutions in various fields. Currently, he is a Distinguished Fellow at the United Services Institution of India (USI).
Flying Officer Amandeep Singh Gill Chair
Group Captain Kishore Kumar Khera, VM (Retd)
Group Captain Kishore Kumar Khera, VM (Retd) is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and Defence Services Staff College. He served as a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force for 33 years. At Air Headquarters, he served in the Plans and the Operations Branches. He was a pioneer member of the Composite Battle Response and Analysis (COBRA) Group and headed the Operational Planning and Assessment Group at Air Headquarters. He was a Research Fellow at the Military Affairs Centre in the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi.
MEA Chair of Excellence
Shri Tarun Vijay
Shri Tarun Vijay was a former Member of Parliament. He was also the President, Parliamentary Group on India-China Friendship, Convener in parliament on India-Israel and India-Japan Parliamentary groups, Member, Parliamentary Standing Committees on Defence, External Affairs & HRD, Member, Board of Governors, Parliamentary Network on World Bank and IMF. He participated in the Shangri La dialogue, Singapore. Also led a multi-party Parliamentary Delegation to Japan. He was also a member of India Japan and India China Eminent Persons Group (MEA). His two books – one on ‘PM Modi’s biography and his Economic Vision’ and another on ‘Kailas Manasarovar – An Odyssey in Tibet’, were translated into Mandarin. He also drove in seven countries in ASEAN-India Car Rally 2012.
He is an environmentalist & tribal activist. He has travelled to 37 countries. 23 of his books have been published in Hindi, English, Marathi, Kannada & Gujarati.
The Bhawanipur Education Society College Chair of Excellence
Lt Gen Raj Shukla, PVSM, YSM, SM (Retd)
Lieutenant General Raj Shukla, PVSM, YSM, SM (Retd) was the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Army Training Command (GOC-in-C ARTRAC). He has commanded a Medium Regiment in the Eastern Theatre as part of a Mountain Division. He later took the regiment to the Desert as part of a Strike Corps. He has also commanded an Infantry Brigade in Counter Insurgency operations and an Infantry Division in the Kashmir Valley, along the Line of Control. On 5 July 2018, he took over the command of the X Corps at Bhatinda. In his staff appointments, he has served as the General Staff Officer, Grade I (GSO-I) of an Infantry Division, as well as two tenures in the Military Operations directorate at Army Headquarters. He has also served in instructional appointments in the School of Artillery and the Indian Military Training Team in Bhutan. He has been the Director General Perspective Planning (DGPP) at Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence. He has been a Research Fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses and a visiting fellow at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies. He is also a qualified aviator. Currently, he is a Distinguished Fellow, United Services Institution of India.
Field Marshal KM Cariappa Chair of Excellence
Lt Gen Balbir Singh Sandhu, AVSM,VSM (Retd)
Lt Gen Balbir Singh Sandhu, AVSM,VSM (Retd) was commissioned into Army Service Corps in December 1978 and superannuated in April 2017 as Director General of Supplies and Transport (DGST). He also held the appointment of Director General of Information Technology of Indian Army. He is an alumnus of DSSC and NDC. Post retirement, he participates in seminars and writes for strategic think tanks such as CLAWS, USI and CENJOWS. He has submitted his thesis for PhD on North East India. Currently, he is a Distinguished Fellow at United Service Institution of India.
General Bipin Rawat Chair of Excellence
Lt Gen (Dr) Rakesh Sharma, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd)
Lieutenant General (Dr) Rakesh Sharma PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd) was commissioned in Gorkha Rifles in 1977, and had a career spanning forty years in the Army. He has had extensive operational experience in Jammu and Kashmir, North East and on the Western Borders. The officer had trained the Botswana Army for three years in Africa, and attended the National War College at Abuja, Nigeria. Lt Gen Rakesh Sharma attended the NDC at New Delhi. He was Research Fellow at Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses and has done PhD in Defence Studies. General Rakesh Sharma commanded the Fire and Fury Corps in Ladakh responsible for Kargil, Siachin Glacier and Eastern Ladakh – facing both Pakistan and China. He was the Adjutant General of the Indian Army responsible for the Human Resource Management and he superannuated in 2017. He has been awarded by the President of India. He is a regular participant in seminars, lectures in various institutions, and regularly writes for newspapers and military journals. He is currently Distinguished Fellow with Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) and Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) and on the Executive Council of Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) and of Global Counter Terrorism Council (GCTC).

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Lt Gen PS Bhagat Chair of Excellence
Maj Gen SG Pitre (Retd)
Prof D S Kothari Chair
(Vacant)
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