Lt General Philip Campose, the Western Army Commander, will take over as Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS) on August 1, 2014, as Lt General Dalbir Singh, the current incumbent takes over the reins of the Indian Army.

The General Officer was commissioned in the 9 Gorkha Rifles in 1974 and is an alumnus of St Xavier’s School, Delhi; the National Defence Academy Khadakwasla, Pune and the Indian Military Academy at Dehradun. He was later sidestepped to the newly constituted Regiment of Mechanised Infantry in 1982. A graduate of the Defence Services Staff College Wellington, the General Officer also attended the Higher Command Course, Mhow and the National Defence College, New Delhi.

The General Officer has commanded an Independent Armoured Brigade, an Infantry Division on the line of control in Jammu and Kashmir and a Corps in the Western Sector. He has headed a UN Peace Keeping mission in the former Yugoslavia and Northern Iraq.

The General Officer has been awarded the Vishist Seva Medal and the Ati Vishist Seva Medal for distinguished service. He tenanted the appointment of the Director General Perspective Planning (DG PP) at the Army Headquarters at New Delhi, before taking over as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command.

He is the current Colonel Commandant of the Mechanised Infantry Regiment.