Who is Lt Gen S K Saini

Lt Gen SK Saini, an alumnus of Sainik School Kapurthala and NDA, was commissioned into  JAT Regiment  in June 1981. He has commanded his Battalion, a Mountain Brigade, a Counter Insurgency Force in J&K, a Corps in the Western Theatre and the Southern Army.

His staff experience includes tenanting the appointments of Brigade Major of an Infantry Brigade, GSO1 (Operations) of an Infantry Division and Director Military Operations at the Army HQ.  He has also been BGS of a Corps deployed in J&K, DDG (Strategy) in the Perspective Planning Directorate and DDG KRA Monitoring Cell, COAS Secretariat.  Besides, he has been a weapons instructor in the National Security Guards Training Centre, Senior Directing Staff at the National Defence College, New Delhi and Commandant of the Indian Military Academy.  As DG(MP&PS), he initiated many significant refinements in HR polices of all ranks.  In his last appointment as GOC-in-C, he steered transformation of the  Operational Philosophy of the Southern Army to overwhelm the emerging threats and validation of many new concepts during training exercises.

The General Officer is a graduate of the Army Command and Staff Course at the Staff College, Camberley in UK and has studied at the Royal College of Military Science, Shrivenham, UK. He is also a graduate of the Higher Command Course and the National Defence College, Bangladesh, where he authored the best research paper. He holds three Masters Degrees in Defence and Strategic Studies.

The Officer has also served as the Deputy Chief Military Personnel Officer in the UN Mission in Iraq-Kuwait,  attended  an  exercise  on  peacekeeping  conducted  by   the Global Peace Operations Initiative in Mongolia and a counter terrorism exercise in Australia.

Lt Gen Saini has been bestowed a number of awards, both for gallantry and distinguished service, including the “Chief of Army Staff Commendation”, the “Army Commander Commendation”, “Yudh Seva Medal”, “Vishisht Seva Medal”,  “Ati Vishisht Seva Medal” and  "Param Vishisht Seva Medal". He is also the Colonel of the JAT Regiment.

He has written extensively in various journals, magazines and newspapers. He has also presented papers on the “Changing Face of Terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir” during the National Seminar on Non State Armed Groups and India’s Security in 21st Century in April 2008; on the “The Challenges of Combating Terrorism in India” at the National Defence University, Helsinki, Finland in October 2008 and on “Regional Security Cooperation and Confidence Building” at the ASEAN Regional Forum Heads of Defence Universities/Colleges meeting at Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar in September 2015.