Mhow: In a leadership transition within the Indian Army’s premier training establishment, Lt Gen Vijay B Nair took over as Commandant of the Infantry School, Mhow, on Thursday.
A thoroughbred infantry officer with nearly four decades of distinguished service, Lt Gen Nair brings to the assignment an exceptional blend of combat command experience, operational staff acumen, and deep instructional expertise. Commissioned into 21 Punjab in June 1988 after passing out from the Indian Military Academy, he went on to command the same battalion, a rare honour that reflects both professional competence and regimental affinity.
His career trajectory is marked by an impressive array of command appointments across vastly different terrains and operational environments. These include commanding a Brigade under the Desert Strike Corps in Rajasthan’s arid expanses, heading the Leh Sub Area in the high-altitude theatre of Ladakh, leading the Tiger Division in Jammu & Kashmir, and most recently commanding the Vajra Corps in Punjab. Such wide exposure—from the Siachen heights and LoC to the deserts and the plains—has given him a rare panoramic understanding of infantry operations across the full spectrum of conflict.
The General Officer has seen action in some of the Indian Army’s most demanding deployments. He served with the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka during the late 1980s, undertook eight tenures along the Line of Control, and participated extensively in counter-terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir. His staff assignments at the highest levels include tenures as Chief of Staff of both the Western Command and the Northern Command, where he was involved in planning and overseeing operations along India’s most sensitive frontiers.
Lt Gen Nair’s international experience further enriches his profile. He has served with the Indian Military Training Team (IMTRAT) in Bhutan and as Chief of Staff of a multinational Brigade in a United Nations Chapter VII peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he earned the United Nations Force Commander’s Commendation.
A well-regarded military scholar, the General Officer is a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, the College of Defence Management, Secunderabad, and the National Defence College, New Delhi. He has held key instructional appointments at the Senior Command Wing of the Army War College, Mhow, and served as Senior Instructor and Head of the Training Team (Army) at the Defence Services Staff College. These roles have allowed him to shape the professional outlook of successive generations of Indian Army officers.
For his meritorious service, Lt Gen Nair has been decorated with the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) and Sena Medal (SM), besides receiving four Army Commanders’ Commendation Cards.
Lt Gen Nair is married to Mrs Uma Nair. The couple’s son, Major Nikhil Nair, has followed in his father’s footsteps and was commissioned into 21 Punjab. Their daughter, Nikita, works with Amazon in Bengaluru.
The change of command at Mhow comes at a time when the Indian Army is engaged in intensive modernisation and doctrinal evolution. As the new guardian of the Infantry School’s legacy, Lt Gen Vijay B Nair is expected to play a pivotal role in preparing the Indian infantry for the battlefield challenges of the coming decades.
The Infantry School remains the cradle of infantry tactics, doctrine and training for the world’s second-largest army, and the appointment is considered one of the most prestigious instructional and doctrinal roles in the force.
contact: drrajeshjauhri@gmail.com
Dr Rajesh Jauhri is a Journalist with an experience of over 25 years in Indian and foreign media, a Social Scientist, an Ac-complished Author, a Political & Strategic Analyst, a Marksman (Rifle & Pistol), an Orator, a Thinker and an Educationist. He holds a Ph.D. degree on “Impact of colonial heritage on Indian police”. He runs an NGO dedicated to the social and eco-nomic uplift of tribal communities in MP and two decades back, he established a school in a village of Indore district, providing education and moral values to children belonging to underprivileged and minority families. Has received multiple awards in various fields.
