Ashok K. Mehta

Last updated

Ashok K. Mehta
AllegianceFlag of India.svg  India
Service/branch Indian Army
Years of service1957–1991
Rank Major general
Battles/wars Portuguese-Indian War
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Siachen conflict
Indian Peace Keeping Force

Ashok K. Mehta is a former major general of the Indian Army, as well as a radio and television commentator and a columnist on defence and security issues. [1] He was a founding member of the Defence Planning Staff in the Indian Ministry of Defence. He is also the elder brother of the renowned journalist and editor, Vinod Mehta. Ashok Mehta is married to journalist Aditi Phadnis. [2]

Contents

Maj. Gen. Mehta is an alumnus of the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehradun, an Indian military preparatory school formerly known as the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College.

Military career

Mehta joined the Indian Army in 1957 and was commissioned in the 5th Gorkha Rifles infantry regiment the same year. Since then, he fought in almost all of the major wars India went into, with the exception of the Sino-Indian War of 1962, during which time he was on a peacekeeping mission in Zaire.

He undertook special military courses at the Royal College of Defence Studies in the United Kingdom in 1974 and at the Command and General Staff College in the United States in 1975. He taught at the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun and at the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington, Tamil Nadu. [3] Mehta's last assignment in the Indian Army was as Maj. Gen. Harkirat Singh's successor to the position of General Officer Commanding in the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka from 1988 to 1990. [4] He took a premature retirement in 1991.[ citation needed ]

Post-retirement

Following his retirement, he began serving as a regular radio and television commentator. He also began acting as a policy analyst and columnist on South Asian security affairs. He is an advisor to the Gurkha Memorial Trust and a member of the India-Nepal Track 2 Dialogue. He has also been a consulting editor in the Indian Defence Review, a member of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, and the director of Security and Political Risk Analysis.

Publications

Mehta is the author of several books:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Manekshaw</span> First Field marshal of the Indian Army

Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, widely known as Sam Manekshaw and Sam Bahadur, was the Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, and the first Indian Army officer to be promoted to the rank of field marshal. His active military career spanned four decades and five wars, beginning with service in the British Indian Army in World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rashtriya Indian Military College</span> Military college in India

The Rashtriya Indian Military College is a military school for boys and girls situated in Doon Valley, Dehradun in India. The RIMC is a feeder institution for the National Defence Academy, Indian Naval Academy and subsequently the Indian Armed Forces. Rimcollians, the name by which alumni of the RIMC are usually denoted, have gone on to hold the highest ranks in the Army, Navy and the Air Force of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lanka Army</span> Land force of the Sri Lankan armed forces

The Sri Lanka Army is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. Established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, it was renamed when Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972. In 2010, the Army had approximately 200,000 regular personnel, between 20,000 and 40,000 reserve (volunteer) personnel and 18,000 National Guardsmen and comprises 13 divisions, one air-mobile brigade, one commando brigade, one special forces brigade, one independent armored brigade, three mechanized infantry brigades and over 40 infantry brigades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarath Fonseka</span> Sri Lankan senior army officer

Field Marshal Gardihewa Sarath Chandralal Fonseka, commonly known as Sarath Fonseka, is a retired Sri Lankan army officer and politician. He was the eighteenth Commander of Sri Lanka Army, and under his command the Sri Lanka Army ended the 26-year Sri Lankan Civil War in 2009, defeating the militant group, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam; he thereafter briefly served as the Chief of Defence Staff. After retiring from the Army with the rank of General, he entered politics as the common opposition candidate in the 2010 presidential election contesting against President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Defence Services Staff College</span> Inter-service institution of the Indian Ministry of Defence

The Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) is a defence service training institution of the Ministry of Defence, Government of India.

Major General Afsir Karim, was an Indian Army general and military scholar who has authored several books on strategic affairs & military studies. He was a graduate of the Defense Services Staff College, Wellington and the National Defence College.

Lt. Gen. Hanut Singh Rathore, PVSM, MVC was a General Officer in the Indian Army. He was decorated with the Maha Vir Chakra for his role in the Battle of Basantar in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janaka Perera</span> Sri Lankan politician

Major General Janaka Perera, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, VSP, rcds, psc, CR was a Sri Lankan General and politician. He served as the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army and is considered one of the most distinguished generals in Sri Lankan history. After retiring from the army he served as a Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Australia and Ambassador to Indonesia. He was the opposition leader of the North Central Provincial Council until he and his wife were killed on 6 October 2008 by a suicide bomber. The LTTE have been blamed for the bombing by Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Defence College (India)</span> Premier Academic Institute

The National Defence College, located in New Delhi, is the defence service training institute and highest seat of strategic learning for officers of the Defence Service and the Civil Services. This is a very prestigious course attended only by a few hand-picked defence officers of One-Star rank and civil servants of the rank of Joint secretary to the Government of India. Each year, approximately 25 officers from friendly foreign countries like the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Australia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Nepal, UAE and others attend the course.

General Shavendra Silva, WWV, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP is a Sri Lanka Army officer. He is the Chief of Defence Staff and former Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, His prior appointments include, Chief of Staff of the army, Adjutant General and Director of Operations of the Army. During the Sri Lankan civil war he gained fame as the General Officer Commanding of the elite 58 Division. He had also served as the Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Headquarters.

Lieutenant General Syed Ata HasnainPVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM & Bar is a retired General of the Indian Army. His last assignment in service was as the Military Secretary of the Indian Army. Prior to that, he commanded the Indian Army's 15 Corps in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, amongst other appointments. He has also commanded 21 Corps (Strike). In 2018, General Hasnain was appointed Chancellor of Central University of Kashmir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ubaya Madawela</span> Sri Lankan senior army officer

Major General Ubaya Medawela RSP, VSV, USP, ndu, psc, MSc was a Sri Lankan senior army officer; he was the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army.

Major General Gemunu Kulatunge, RSP, USP, ndc, psc (1941-2003) was a Sri Lankan senior army officer, who was the former Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Service Institution</span>

United Service Institution of India (USI) is a national security and defence services think tank based in New Delhi, India. It describes its aim as the "furtherance of interest and knowledge in the art, science and literature of the defence services".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H. S. Panag</span>

Harcharanjit Singh Panag, PVSM, AVSM is a retired lieutenant general of the Indian Army. He is presently a defence analyst and commentator on strategic affairs. A proponent of use of robotics by Indian armed forces he is very active on social media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dewan Rabindranath Soni</span> Indian Army

Lieutenant General Dewan Rabindranath Soni, PVSM, VSM is a former General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Southern Command of the Indian Army. He served in office from 1 December 2017 till 30 September 2018. He assumed the post after Lieutenant General P M Hariz retired and was succeeded by Lt General Satinder Kumar Saini.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manoj Mukund Naravane</span> 27th Chief of the Army Staff (India)

General Manoj Mukund Naravane is a retired Indian Army General who served as the 27th Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), as well as the temporary Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee from 15 December 2021 until his superannuation on 30 April 2022. He took over as COAS from General Bipin Rawat on 31 December 2019 after the latter completed his term. Prior to his appointment as the COAS, the general served as the 40th Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS) of the Indian Army, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of Eastern Command and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Army Training Command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Satinder Kumar Saini</span> Indian Army

Lieutenant General Satinder Kumar Saini, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, VSM, ADC was the 41st Vice Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army and assumed the office on 25 January 2020. He previously served as General Officer Commanding in Chief (GOC-in-C) Southern Command.

Major General Dalvir Singh AVSM, VrC, VSM is a retired Indian Special Forces officer, a former General Officer of the Indian Army and the recipient of Vir Chakra, India's third-highest War-time gallantry award. He has commanded the 10th Battalion Special Forces, the elite 52 Special Action Group of the NSG, Kilo Force of the Rashtriya Rifles and the Territorial Army (India), with distinction. After retirement from active military service, he has been serving as the Director Training of Rajasthan Police Training Center Jodhpur.

References

  1. "Who is General Ashok K. Mehta?". Sri Lanka Guardian. November 2007. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  2. "Uncovering the War - Indian Express".
  3. "General Ashok K. Mehta: Managing India's Internal Security Challenges". The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence. 1 October 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  4. "Major General Ashok K. Mehta (retd.) -The Maoist Uprising in Nepal: Trends and Implications". International Institute for Strategic Studies. 26 February 2004. Archived from the original on 15 April 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2012.