Allegiance India Service number IC-30702N Rank Lieutenant General | Years of service 1974-2015 Service/branch Indian Army Name Philip Campose | |
Commands held Vice Chief of Army Staff
GOC-in-C Western Command | ||
Security Scan : Challenges for Defence Forces
Lt. Gen. Philip Campose, AVSM, VSM was former Vice Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army. He retired in 2015 after more than four decades of service in the army. He also held the appointment of GOC-in-C of Western Command of Indian Army before assuming the office of VCOAS. He was succeeded by Lt Gen Man Mohan Singh Rai. He is the colonel commandant of Mechanized Infantry Regiment.
Contents
Early life and education
He completed his schooling at St. Xavier's School, Delhi. He is a graduate National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and was commissioned from the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He did various command courses from Defence Service Staff College, Wellington and National Defence College, New Delhi including the 'Higher Command Course' at Army War College, Mhow and a tactical course in Russia. He holds a master's degree in philosophy in Defence Management and Security Studies and in Strategic Studies from Indore and Madras Universities respectively.
Career
The general was first commissioned into 9 Gorkha Rifles in 1974 and was later transferred to the Mechanised Infantry Regiment in 1982. He served as an instructor at National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College and at the tactical wing of Armoured Corps Centre and School (ACCS). He was a Brigade Major of an Armoured Brigade and also Colonel of General Staff of a counter insurgency division in north-east India. His appointments at the army headquarters include Deputy Director General of Strategy at the Directorate of Perspective Planning. He also served as the Chief Staff Officer (Land Vector) at the headquarters of Strategic Forces Command. As a commanding officer, he headed a mechanized infantry battalion and also an infantry division near the Line of Control in J&K. While he was deputed to United Nations, he was the head of UN peace keeping missions in former Yugoslavia and Northern Iraq.
In 2013, on being promoted to the rank to Army Commander, he was appointed as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Command, prior to his appointment as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS) of Indian Army. He succeeded Lieutenant General Dalbir Singh as the Vice Chief of Army Staff, who was promoted to the rank of full general and appointed as the Chief of the Army Staff. He served in the position until he was superannuated on 31 July 2015. He was succeeded by Lt Gen MMS Rai as the Vice Chief.
He was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal by the President of India for his distinguished service to the country.