Lt Gen Kochhar is new Signal Officer-in-chief

Zee News Friday, September 02, 2011
New Delhi: Lieutenant General S P Kochhar Thursday took over as the Signal Officer-in-Chief of the Indian Army following the retirement of Lt Gen P Mohapatra on August 31 here. Lt General Kochhar has held several important posts in his 38-year career.
As an Additional Director General (ADG) of Personnel Services at Army Headquarters, he also headed the Tri-Services Anomalies Resolution Committee to address anomalies of the Sixth Central Pay Commission.
The General Officer holds two M.Phil degrees and is an M.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and has undergone several in-service professional courses including the National Defence College (NDC) Course and the Army’s Higher Command Course (HCC).
He is a recipient of with the Ati-Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), Sena Medal (SM) and the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM). PTI
Lt Gen Kochhar is new Signal Officer-in-chief

Indian Armed Forces: Poineers in computerisation

To start the computerisation process, a middle level officer of the Corps of Signals, Maj OA Pereira was deputed to undergo a one year computer course at the statistical institute, Calcutta. On his return, the nucleus of a computer cell was formed at the AHQ. Around the same time, a training facility was organised by the Government at Delhi based on a Honeywell mainframe computer system. The scope of such training was, however, limited to fundamentals of computer technology and programming in COBOL with an exposure of FORTRAN. Simultaneously, officers were also sent to US Army School at Fort Monmonth, New Jersey for regular computer courses. Notable amongst these trainees were Lt Col MS Sodhi and Lt Col Harbhajan Singh, later both of them rose to the rank of Lt Gen's as SO in C. Prominent amongst the early computer poineers were Lt Col (Maj Gen) BS Paintal and Maj (Brig) VM Sundaram. They played a leading role in educating and spreading compuer awareness. Subsequently Maj Gen Gopal Das and Maj Gen Ganaga Prasad made significant contribution for the planning and organisation of computer education and training. Brig SVS Chowdhry was also closely associated with the computer education activity, first as a faculty member at MCTE, Mhow and later on in the planning and coordination of computer training during his two tenures at the Army Headquarters.

Signal Corps gets new Officer-in-Chief

New Delhi, July 31 (ANI): Major General P. Mohapatra, who is also the Colonel Commandant of the Corps of Signals, has been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and would hence be Signal Officer-in-Chief. He would replace Lieutenant General SP Sree Kumar, who superannuated today.

As Signal Officer-in-Chief, he will be the head of the Corps of Signals and be responsible to oversee the entire Communication & IT requirements of the Indian Army. Prior to assuming the present appointment, he served as Additional Directorate General of Signal Intelligence and Assistant Chief of Integrated Defence Staff. Lieutenant General Mohapatra was commissioned into the Corps on November 14, 1971, and had participated in the Indo – Pak war in the Northern Theatre. An alumnus of National Defence Academy and Defence Services Staff College, he has done the prestigious Higher Command Course and also attended the ”National Security and Strategic Studies Course” at the National Defence College, New Delhi.

Lieutenant General Mohapatra has had an illustrious career spanning over three decades and tenanted some very prestigious Command and Staff appointments. He has commanded an Independent Armoured Brigade Signal Company, an Armored Divisional Signal Regiment and was Chief Signal Officer of a Strike Corps during Operation Parakram. Further, he has considerable operational experience having participated in Operation Hifazat in Nagaland and Operation Rakshak in Jammu and Kashmir during an extremely critical phase of insurgency.

Lieutenant General Mohapatra has also been a Brigade Major of an Infantry Brigade, Colonel General Staff in College of Combat (now Army War College), Colonel Administration of an Infantry Division and Brigadier General Staff at the Army Training Command (ARTRAC). At Integrated Headquarter of Ministry of Defence (Army), he has been General Staff Officer 1st grade of the Army in Military Operations Directorate and Colonel MS in Military Secretary’’s Branch. (ANI)
New SOinC Appointed

The Blog Team and all the veteran readers congratulate Lt Gen P Mohapatra in his new assignment to head the "Information Warriors". He is from the 48 regular (and 32 Tech course) of IMA which passed out on 14 Nov 1971. This course duration was curtailed by a month in view of the Indo Pak conflict of 1971. All cadets were just given 10 days joining time to report to their respective units directly.