United Nations Secretary-General AntĂłnio Guterres confirmed the appointment of Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian of India as Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) on Wednesday.
Lieutenant General Subramanian, an Indian, succeeds Lieutenant General Shailesh Tinaikar, who served for the UN Mission in Sierra Leone and as the country’s defence attachĂ© in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
Army authorities congratulated Lt. General Subramanian, a renowned officer who has received the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal, and Vishisht Seva Medal, for the significant and prestigious duty, which has previously been given to Indian Army Generals fifteen times.
Over 36 years have passed since Lieutenant General Subramanian first became involved with the Indian Army. Most recently, he served in central India as the General Officer Commanding, Military Region (Operational and Logistic Readiness Zone), where he helped improve operational and logistical readiness for the Army.
He previously held a number of positions with the Indian Armed Forces, including Commander of a Mountain Brigade (2013–2014), Additional Director General for Procurement and Equipment Management at the Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence (Army) (2019–2021), General Officer Commanding a Strike Infantry Division (2018–2019), Deputy General Officer Commanding of Infantry Division (2015–2016), and General Officer Commanding a Strike Infantry Division (2015–2016). From 2008 to 2012, Lieutenant General Subramanian represented India’s defence interests in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. From 2000 to 2008, he also worked as a staff officer for the UN Mission in Sierra Leone.
More than 5,400 military soldiers from the Indian Army are now serving in difficult conditions for the United Nations in eight of the organization’s 14 missions throughout the world. According to army sources, the Indian Army is heavily represented in United Nations Missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, South Sudan, Golan Heights, Syria, Western Sahara, Abyei, and Cyprus. Additionally, India is sending a battalion group of soldiers to UNISFA (Abyei).
Image Credit: UN Women/Ryan Brown
