Lt. Gen Philip Campose to be new Army vice chief

NEW DELHI: Veteran mechanised infantry officer Lt Gen Philip Campose was today appointed as the next Army Vice Chief to succeed Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, who will take over as the chief of the 1.3 million strong-force on July 31.

Campose, at present the Western Army Commander, will be succeeded by Lt Gen Kamal Jit Singh in the Chandimandir-based formation looking after the borders with Pakistan.

Commissioned in the 9 Gorkha Rifles in 1974, Campose is an alumnus of St Xavier's School Delhi, the National Defence Academy Khadakwasla (Pune) and Indian Military Academy at Dehradun.

He was sidestepped to the newly constituted Regiment of Mechanised Infantry in 1982.

He has commanded an independent armoured brigade, an infantry division on the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir and a Corps in the Western Sector.

He has headed a UN Peace Keeping mission in the former Yugoslavia and Northern Iraq.

Campose was also the head of the General Court Martial to carry out the trial of senior three star officers in the Sukna land scam.