# Commandant of the Defence Services Staff College

The Commandant of the Defence Services Staff College is the head and overall in-charge of the Defence Services Staff College. The Commandant of the Academy is a Three-star rank officer from the Indian Army. He is supported by the chief instructors of the Army, Navy and Air wings, Major General in charge of Administration (MG IC Adm) (all two-star rank appointments), Brigadier General Staff (one-star appointment) and a staff officer (SO to Comdt) (an officer of the rank of major).
The Commandant is responsible to the Chiefs of Staff Committee through the Chairman of the Joint Training Committee.
Lieutenant General Virendra Vats, AVSM, SM, VSM is the present Commandant of the DSSC. He assumed office on 1 February 2022 from Lieutenant General MJS Kahlon.

## History

The College was established in 1905 in Quetta (now in Pakistan). After the partition of India and Pakistan, the Indian elements of the Staff College, Quetta led by Colonel S D Verma moved to India. Promoted Brigadier and appointed as the First Commandant, Verma chose Wellington as the location of the Staff College in India. In 1948, Major General W D A Lentaigne, CB, CBE, DSO took over as the Commandant, the longest serving Commandant till date.
The appointment was upgraded to the Three-star rank of Lieutenant General in 1981.

## List of Commandants

| S.No. | Name | Assumed office | Left office | Notes |
| 1 | Brigadier S D Verma | 1947 | 1948 | Established the Staff College in India |
| 2 | Major General W D A Lentaigne, CB, CBE, DSO | 1948 | 1955 | Longest serving Commandant |
| 3 | Major General P S Gyani | 1955 | 1959 | Later served as Force Commander UNEF and Force Commander UNYOM. |
| 4 | Major General P P Kumaramangalam, DSO | 1959 | 1959 | Later served as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff and the 6th Chief of the Army Staff |
| 5 | Major General Sam Manekshaw, MC | 1959 | 1962 | Later served as the 7th Chief of the Army Staff. India's first Field Marshal. |
| 6 | Major General D Som Dutt | 1962 | 1965 | Later served as the First Director of MP-IDSA. |
| 7 | Major General Har Prasad | 1965 | 1968 | Later served as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff |
| 8 | Major General R K Ranjit Singh | 1968 | 1972 | |
| 9 | Major General S P Malhotra, PVSM | 1972 | 1975 | Later served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command. |
| 10 | Major General A M Sethna, AVSM | 1975 | 1978 | Later served as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff |
| 11 | Major General Mohinder Singh | 1978 | 1982 | |
| 12 | Lieutenant General K Balaram, PVSM | 1982 | 1984 | |
| 13 | Lieutenant General Mahipat Sinhji, PVSM | 1984 | 1986 | |
| 14 | Lieutenant General F. N. Billimoria, PVSM | 1986 | 1987 | Later served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Central Command |
| 15 | Lieutenant General Gurinder Singh, AVSM | 1987 | 1989 | |
| 16 | Lieutenant General K S Brar, PVSM, AVSM, VrC | 1989 | 1990 | Later served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command |
| 17 | Lieutenant General Y K Vadehra, AVSM | 1990 | 1992 | |
| 18 | Lieutenant General B S Nalwa, PVSM | 1992 | 1994 | |
| 19 | Lieutenant General V P Malik, AVSM | 1994 | 1995 | Later served as the 19th Chief of the Army Staff |
| 20 | Lieutenant General Baldev Singh, PVSM, AVSM | 1995 | 1997 | |
| 21 | Lieutenant General A S Rao, PVSM, AVSM | 1997 | 1999 | |
| 22 | Lieutenant General S R R Aiyengar, PVSM, AVSM | 1999 | 2001 | Earlier served as Commandant of the National Defence College |
| 23 | Lieutenant General P P S Bindra, PVSM, AVSM, VSM | 2001 | 2003 | |
| 24 | Lieutenant General T P S Brar, PVSM, YSM | 2003 | 2006 | |
| 25 | Lieutenant General B J Gupta, AVSM | 2006 | 2008 | |
| 26 | Lieutenant General H P S Klair, SM | 2008 | 2010 | |
| 27 | Lieutenant General B V Nair | 2010 | 2011 | |
| 28 | Lieutenant General Chander Prakash, SM, VSM | 2011 | 2013 | |
| 29 | Lieutenant General S K Gadeock, AVSM | 2013 | 2017 | |
| 29 | Lieutenant General Amrik Singh, AVSM, SM | 2017 | 2019 | |
| 30 | Lieutenant General Y V K Mohan, AVSM, SM, VSM | 2019 | 2020 | Earlier served as Commandant of the National Defence College |
| 31 | Lieutenant General MJS Kahlon, AVSM | 2020 | 2022 | |
| 32 | Lieutenant General S Mohan, AVSM, SM, VSM | 2022 | 2022 | |
| 33 | Lieutenant General Virendra Vats YSM, SM, VSM | 2022 | Present | |