Dalbir Singh Suhag

Gen. Dalbir Singh (Suhag) belongs to Bishan village near Beri village in Jhajjar District of Haryana.

Dalbir Singh Suhag is the first Jat to become Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army, he was appointed om 31st July 2014 as Chief of Army Staff (COAS) for 30 months. He retired from service on 31 December 2016.

Career

Gen. Suhag joined the National Defence Academy in 1970 and was commissioned into the 4/5 GR (FF) in June 1974, He is an alumnus of Sainik School Chittorgarh. He has served as a company commander in “Op. Pawan” in Sri Lanka, commanded the 53 Infantry Brigade, which was involved in counter insurgency operations in the Kashmir Valley and commanded the 8 Mountain Division in Jammu & Kashmir.

The General has also served as Instructor in Army School of Mechanical Transport (ASMT), Bangalore as well as Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun. He has also tenanted important staff appointments at the Divisional and the Corps levels. He has also held important assignments in Army Headquarters, both as a Colonel and as a Brigadier.

The General has been holding the appointment of Colonel of the Regiment, 5 GR (FF) from 19 Apr 2011 and the President Gorkha Brigade from 01 Jan 2014.

High Commissioner of India in Seychelles

On April 25, 2019, The Government of India announced the appointment of Gen. Sihag as the next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Seychelles.[1].

Awards

The General is highly decorated and is a proud recepient of the following awards:

Param Vishisht Seva Medal,
Uttam Yudh Seva Medal,
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and
Vishisht Seva Medal.

Awarded 'Legion of Merit' by United States of America

(News item of 18 August 2018) - https://newsd.in/general-dalbir-singh-suhag-awarded-with-us-legion-of-merit-for-exceptionally-meritorious-service/

The United States government rewarded retired General Dalbir Singh Suhag’s exemplary service as Chief of Army Staff (COAS) from August 2014 to December 2016 with ‘Legion of Merit’(Degree of Commander). He received the award at Pentagon, Washington DC on August 17. His family members and the Indian military attache to the United States of America were also present while Singh was awarded for the exceptionally meritorious service as COAS in Indian Army.

The Indian army tweeted, “The President of the United States of America (POTUS), authorised by Act of Congress, July 20, 1942, awarded the Legion Of Merit (Degree of Commander) to Gen Dalbir Singh (Retired), Indian Army, for exceptionally meritorious service as COAS from August 2014 to 31 December 2016”.

The US government had announced this award for him in March 2016 and was scheduled to be honoured with in April 2016 during his official visit to the US. Some hold up in acquiring government’s sanction had delayed the award presentation to the army officer. Later in December 2016, Suhag retired from the service.

Dalbir Singh Suhag played a great role in Indian Army’s counterinsurgency and counter-terrorism operations. His humanitarian assistance and disaster relief during the Nepal earthquake in 2015 is also unforgettable. He is also given credit for sustaining Indian Army contributions to global peacekeeping as one of the World’s largest provider of forces to the United Nations.