Lt Gen Subramanian appointed as Force Commander of UNMISS by UN Secretary-General

UNITED NATIONS: Indian Army Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian has been appointed as the new Force Commander of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

According to a statement issued here, Lt.Gen.Subramanian will take over from Lt.Gen.Shailesh Tinaikar who is also from the Indian Army, "to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his tireless dedication, invaluable service and effective leadership as UNMISS Force Commander." Guterres appointed Tinaikar in May 2019 as the UNMISS Force Commander.

Subramanian has a "distinguished military career with the Indian Army spanning over 36 years". Most recently, he served as the General Officer Commanding, the Military Zone of Central India (Operational and Logistic Readiness Zone), contributing to the Army's operational and logistical readiness.

Before this, he served as Additional Director General for Procurement and Equipment Management at the Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defense (Army) (2019-2021), General Officer Commanding a Strike Infantry Division (2018-2019) and Deputy General Officer Commanding of Infantry Division (2015-2016) and Commander of a Mountain Brigade (2013-2014) among other appointments in the Indian Armed Forces.

He worked as India's Defense Attaché in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia (2008-2012) and as a Staff Officer in the UN Mission in Sierra Leone in 2000. He has two Master of Philosophy degrees in Defense and Management Studies as well as Social Sciences.

India is one of the largest contributors of uniformed personnel to the UN peacekeeping force. A country born in July 2011, the UN Mission in South Sudan has deployed 17,982 personnel as of November 2021.

India is the second-highest troop contributor, second only to Rwanda, with 2,385 Indian peacekeepers who serve in UNMISS. Additionally, currently, India contributes 30 police personnel to UNMISS.

Source -PTI