Achievers' Index

GENERAL V.N. SHARMA

General V.N. Sharma belongs to a distinguished military family whose members have served in the Armed Forces for two generations and produced three Generals. He is the younger brother of the late Major Som Nath Sharma, PVC, who was awarded Independent India's first posthumous Param Vir Chakra on 3rd. November 1947 for the Battle of Badgam in Kashmir.

General Sharma was educated at Sherwood College, Nainital, and Prince of Wales' RIMC, Dehradun, finishing from Sherwood. He joined the fifth Regular Course at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, and was the first recipient of the Rajputana Rifies Gold Medal for tactics and leadership. He was commissioned on 4th June 1950 into the 16 Light Cavalry and was on the rolls of this regiment for 16 years. 

During his 38 years of distinguished service, he has held important commands, staff and instructional appointments. As a Major he saw action during 1965 Indo-Pak War in the Lahore sector. As a Lt. Col., he commanded the 66 armoured regiment and was later appointed an instructor at the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. He was Col. General Staff Operations of an Armoured Division on the Western Front during the 1971 Indo Pak War.

On promotion to the rank of Brigadier, he commanded a mountain brigade in an insurgency affected area and was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva - Medal in 1971 for distinguished service, Later he commanded an armoured brigade in the Rajasthan desert and was appointed Brigadier, General Staff, of a Strike Corps in the Western Sector.

In 1980 he was promoted to Major - General and commanded a mountain division in the eastern sector. He then served as Deputy- Director, General Military Operations at the Army Headquarters. He was promoted Lt. General and took over command of a reserve Corps in the Western Sector in 1984 and was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal for rendering distinguished service of the most exceptional order in March 1986. He was later appointed Commandant of the prestigious College of Combat at Mhow. 

He is a graduate of the Defence Service Staff College, Wellington, and the National Defence College, New Delhi. He has had vast experience in serving in all border regions with their varied terrain and types of operations, including the deserts, mountains, high altitude and counter-insurgency areas; he is considered an authority in both mobile operations and mountain warfare.

General Sharma took over as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command, on 1st June 1987. He is the Col of 66 Armoured Regiment and 87 Armoured Regiment. He was appointed Honorary Army ADC to the President on 25th July 1987. 

He took over as the Chief of the Army Staff on 1st May 1988.