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Lieutenant General
Y K Joshi
UYSM, AVSM, VrC, SM, ADC
File:File:Lieutenant General Yogesh Kumar Joshi UYSM AVSM VrC SM, General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command, Indian Army.jpg
Nickname Joe
Born January 5, 1962(1962-01-05) (age 62):[1]
Allegiance Flag of India India
Service/branch Flag of Indian Army Indian Army
Years of service 1982-present[2]
Rank Lieutenant General of the Indian Army Lieutenant General
Service number IC-40500A[2]
Unit 13 JAK Rif
Commands held Northern Command
XIV Corps
13 JAK Rif
Battles/wars Kargil War
Operation Vijay
Battle of Tiger Hill
Awards Uttam Yudh Seva Medal ribbon Uttam Yudh Seva Medal
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal ribbon Ati Vishisht Seva Medal
Vir Chakra ribbon bar Vir Chakra
Sena Medal ribbon Sena Medal

Lieutenant General Yogesh Kumar Joshi, UYSM, AVSM, VrC, SM, ADC is a serving General Officer in the Indian Army. He is the current General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command, assuming office from Lt Gen Ranbir Singh on 1 February 2020.[3][4] He last served as the Chief of staff of the Northern Command, assuming the office from Lt Gen SK Sharma.[5] Previously, he was the commander of Leh based Fire & Fury Corps.

Early life and education[]

Gen Joshi hails from Faridabad, Haryana and is the son of R P Joshi.[6] He is a graduate of the 60th course and was allotted Kilo "K" squadron at the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Pune, Maharashtra.[7] Then he attended Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.

Career[]

He was commissioned into 13 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles.[8][9][10] He has also served as the Director General of Infantry and ADG of Military Operations Branch in the Army HQ prior to his appointment as DG Infantry and subsequently GOC of XIV corp. He is the colonel of the regiment of Jammu and Kashmir Rifles & the Ladakh Scouts. He was the 17th Commander, XIV Corps of the Indian Army and assumed the post on 31 August 2018, This was General Joshi's fourth tenure dealing with Chinese troops.[11] He assumed the post from Lt General Santosh Kumar Upadhya.[8][12]

Kargil War[]

He was a Lt colonel during Kargil War. He led 13th Battalion of the JAK Rif in Dras. His battalion launched four successful attacks, including the one to Pt 4875 which is now called Batra Top after Capt. Vikram Batra who laid down his life and was awarded the Param Vir Chakra. The Battalion was also conferred with the title of the 'Bravest Of the Brave'[11] His battalion was awarded a total of seven Gallantry medals during Kargil War including two Param Vir Chakras, eight Vir Chakras (including him) and fourteen Sena Medals. He was the commanding officer of Param Vir Chakra awardees Captain Vikram Batra and Rifleman Sanjay Kumar.[12][13]

An expert on China[]

The uniqueness that Gen Joshi brings to his office is not only his knowledge of the Chinese language but also the fact that he has served thrice before in the eastern Ladakh sector and has commanded a Brigade and a Division before taking over as commander of Fire & Fury Corps. He also served as a Defence Attache to China (2005-2008) and negotiated the technicalities of the first India-China joint exercise “Hand-in-Hand” in Kunming in 2007 and led Army talks with China.[11][12][14][15]

Vir Chakra Citation[]

The citation for the Vir Chakra reads as follows[16]

Gazette Notification: 18 Pres/2000,15-8-99

Operation: - Date of Award: 15 Aug 1999

CITATION

LIEUTENANT COLONEL YOGESH KUMAR JOSHI

13 JAMMU AND KASHMIR RIFLES

Lieutenant Colonel Yogesh Kumar Joshi, 13 Jammu & Kashmir Rifles, was tasked to capture the strategically vital Point 5140 in Drass Sector during "Operation Vijay". Lieutenant Colonel Joshi conceived a brilliant plan catering for coordinated action to achieve total surprise and psychological dominance over the tactically better positioned enemy. He also personally supervised all preliminary actions before the attack. During the attack on 20 June 1999, Lieutenant Colonel Joshi kept motivating his company commanders and kept staging himself forward with utter disregard to his personal safety. Displaying exceptional presence of mind, he responded to changing battle situations in a most competent manner, his leading from the front and being well forward in battle acted as a morale booster to the attaching troops. Drawing inspiration from him, the attacking companies surmounted the heavy odds, rugged in-hospitable terrain and enemy fire to close in and capture the objective, important peak of Point 5140.

Lieutenant Colonel Yogesh Kumar Joshi displayed exemplary leadership, outstanding command and control and valour beyond the call of duty, leading to killing of six enemy intruders and recapturing of the strategically vital Point 5140 in Drass Sector.

Awards and Decorations[]

During his career, he has been awarded with Uttam Yudh Seva Medal for commanding the Fire & Fury Corps (Republic Day 2020), Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (Republic Day 2016), the Vir Chakra (Independence Day 1999) for his part in the Operation Vijay and the Sena Medal.[16][17][18][19]

Uttam Yudh Seva Medal ribbon Ati Vishisht Seva Medal ribbon
Vir Chakra ribbon bar Sena Medal ribbon IND Samanya Seva medal IND Special Service Medal Ribbon
IND Operation Vijay star IND Siachen Glacier Medal Ribbon IND Operation Vijay medal IND Operation Parakram medal
IND Sainya Seva Medal Ribbon IND High Altitude Medal Ribbon IND Videsh Seva Medal Ribbon IND 50th Anniversary Independence medal
IND 30 Years Long Service Ribbon IND 20YearsServiceMedalRibbon IND 9YearsServiceMedalRibbon UNAVEM Medal ribbon
Uttam Yudh Seva Medal Ati Vishisht Seva Medal
Vir Chakra
Sena Medal
Samanya Seva Medal
Special Service Medal
Operation Vijay Star
Siachen Glacier Medal
Operation Vijay Medal
Operation Parakram Medal
Sainya Seva Medal
High Altitude Service Medal
Videsh Seva Medal
50th Anniversary of Independence Medal
30 Years Long Service Medal
20 Years Long Service Medal
9 Years Long Service Medal
UNAVEM III Medal

Dates of rank[]

Insignia Rank Component Date of rank
2nd Lieutenant Indian Army Second Lieutenant Indian Army 12 June 1982[2]
Lieutenant of the Indian Army Lieutenant Indian Army 12 June 1984[20]
Captain of the Indian Army Captain Indian Army 12 June 1987
Major of the Indian Army Major Indian Army 12 June 1993[21]
Lieutenant Colonel of the Indian Army Lieutenant-Colonel Indian Army 16 December 1999[22]
Colonel of the Indian Army Colonel Indian Army 1 March 2006[23]
Brigadier of the Indian Army Brigadier Indian Army 1 February 2010 (substantive, with seniority from 17 January 2009)[24]
Major General of the Indian Army Major General Indian Army 1 April 2015 (substantive, with seniority from 8 June 2012)[25]
Lieutenant General of the Indian Army Lieutenant-General Indian Army 20 May 2017[26]

In popular culture[]

In the movie LOC Kargil, he was portrayed by Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt.[27]

See also[]

References[]

  1. "Lt Col Yogesh kumar Joshi, VrC". THE WAR DECORATED INDIA. http://twdi.in/node/2669. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 29 September 1984. p. 1667. 
  3. "Lt Gen YK Joshi, UYSM, AVSM, VrC, SM will assume the appointment of #ArmyCdrNC on 01 Feb 2020. The General officer caught the attention of the nation during Kargil war with his outstanding leadership under the nickname 'Joe' & led his unit 13 JAK RIF to unprecedented success.pic.twitter.com/Lr54A5JapD" (in en). 31 January 2020. https://twitter.com/proudhampur/status/1223259730954481664. 
  4. Negi, Manjeet Singh (24 January 2020). "Kargil fame Lt Gen YK Joshi appointed Northern Army Commander". India Today. London. https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/kargil-fame-lt-gen-yk-joshi-appointed-northern-army-commander-1639616-2020-01-24. 
  5. Defence, PRO Udhampur, Ministry of (2019-10-25). "Lt Gen YK Joshi assumed the appointment of Chief of Staff, Northern Command at Udhampur today. He relieves Lt Gen SK Sharma. In a solemn ceremony Lt Gen SK Sharma and the incoming Chief of Staff paid tributes to the martyrs at Dhruva Shahid Samarak, Udhampur.pic.twitter.com/iXRaI0ayRS" (in en). https://twitter.com/proudhampur/status/1187652310081490944?s=20. 
  6. "YOGESH KUMAR JOSHI | Gallantry Awards" (in en). http://gallantryawards.gov.in/Awardee/yogesh-kumar-joshi. 
  7. "Vir Chakra". https://www.nda.nic.in/Vir-chakra.html. 
  8. 8.0 8.1 "Kargil war hero Lieutenant General YK Joshi takes charge of Ladakh's defence" (in en). CatchNews.com. http://www.catchnews.com/national-news/kargil-war-hero-lieutenant-general-yk-joshi-takes-charge-of-ladakh-s-defence-130488.html. 
  9. "Back in the barracks, I'm Sanju Baba". 15 July 2009. http://archive.mid-day.com/news/2009/jul/150709-Colonel-YK-Joshi-LOC-Kargil-Sanjay-Dutt-War-Heroes-39-honours-Delhi-news.htm. 
  10. KRISHNAN, ANANTH (11 May 2013). "Boundary tensions challenge Li Keqiang’s visit". http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/south-asia/boundary-tensions-challenge-li-keqiangs-visit/article4702099.ece. 
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Kargil War hero Lieutenant General YK Joshi takes charge of Ladakh's defence". https://zeenews.india.com/jammu-and-kashmir/kargil-war-hero-lieutenant-general-yk-joshi-takes-charge-of-ladakhs-defence-2137768.html. 
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Kargil hero Lt-Gen Joshi takes charge of 14 corps - Times of India". The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/kargil-hero-lt-gen-joshi-takes-charge-of-14-corps/articleshow/65633825.cms. 
  13. "Legendary tale of 'Captain Vikram Batra': The 'Sher Shah' of Indian Army". 11 September 2014. http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/captain-vikram-batra-brave-stories-update--41716.html. 
  14. KRISHNAN, ANANTH (27 April 2013). "Amid Ladakh tensions, India, China discuss joint military exercises". http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/amid-ladakh-tensions-india-china-discuss-joint-military-exercises/article4659161.ece. 
  15. "Why Modi govt & Army picked this general to protect borders with China & Pakistan". 3 September 2018. https://theprint.in/defence/new-appointee-lt-gen-joshi-is-the-perfect-man-to-lead-armys-fire-and-fury-corps/110370/. 
  16. 16.0 16.1 "Vir Chakra (VrC) Awardee: Lt Col Yogesh kumar Joshi, VrC". THE WAR DECORATED INDIA. http://twdi.in/node/3988. 
  17. "President approves 409 Gallantry and other defence decorations to Armed Forces personnel on Republic Day (2020)". PIB India. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1600543#.Xi0Av-oZiss.twitter. 
  18. "Press Information Bureau". http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx. 
  19. "Press Information Bureau Government of India Republic Day Gallantry". Press Information Bureau. 2014-01-25. http://www.pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=102732. 
  20. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 8 June 1985. p. 780. 
  21. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 10 September 1994. p. 1685. 
  22. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 15 October 2005. p. 1894. 
  23. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 21 April 2007. p. 635. 
  24. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 16 February 2013. p. 273. 
  25. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 21 May 2016. p. 1309. 
  26. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 9 February 2019. p. 393. 
  27. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0347416/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast
Military offices
Preceded by
Ranbir Singh
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command
1 February 2020- Present
Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
SK Sharma
Chief of Staff Northern Command
25 October 2019- Present
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Santosh Kumar Upadhya
General Officer Commanding XIV Corps
31 August 2018 - 10 October 2019
Succeeded by
Harinder Singh
Preceded by
Director General of Infantry
2017 - 30 August 2018
Succeeded by

External links[]

All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at Yogesh Kumar Joshi and the edit history here.
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