Vinod G. Khandare

Born in Chhindwara (MP) on 6 January 1958, he is the youngest of four children to Mr. GC Khandare and Mrs. Premlata Khandare. Since his father was in the Indian Postal Service, his schooling and University education was spread all over the country. He is an alumnus of Indore Christian College and Officers Training Academy Chennai. He did Masters in Defence Science from University of Madras and Master of Philosophy from Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya Indore.

Khandare was commissioned into Garhwal Rifles on 1 September 1979. He has served the motherland in Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram and two overseas tenures as UN peacekeeping mission in El Salvador in Central America and chief instructor in Kingdom of Lesotho. He has commanded an infantry battalion along the volatile Line of Control during the Kargil Conflict of 1999 and 19th Infantry Division (India) in Kashmir Valley. He then led his Division on the North western front in Kashmir along the active Line of Control with Pakistan and successfully managed the hinterland of North Kashmir.

He commanded a Brigade with operational role on Northern Borders. He served in Kashmir Valley in 2010-11 as Deputy GOC of Counter Insurgency Force in North Kashmir. He has served as instructor on weapons at Infantry School Mhow and as Directing Staff at Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. His final appointment was as Director General Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), India from 2015 to 2018.[4]

He has been a part of the UN peacekeeping mission in ONUSAL El Salvador (a Spanish speaking country) which was one of the few peace missions which achieved the end goals in acceptable timelines. He is an expert in the Spanish language.

He was Chief Instructor of the Indian Training Team in Southern Africa in the Kingdom of Lesotho, he worked towards progress and orientation of the Lesotho Defence Force. He has been an Instructor in reputed Military Training establishments and shaped careers of national and international officers.

He was appointed as Military Advisor to NSCS. He retired from active military service on 31 January 2018 and is presently the Military Advisor to the National Security Advisor of India at the Secretary level.[5]

During 40 years of his career, he has won a gallantry award (Sena Medal) for brilliant and brave counter terrorism insurgency operation in Jammu and Kashmir.

During the UN peacekeeping mission in ONUSAL El Salvador, he was awarded the UN Medal. Having officiated as GOC of Counter Insurgency Force in North Kashmir, he was awarded the Chief of Army Staff Commendation.

He has also been awarded a Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2017[6] and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2015[7][8] for leading his Division on the North western front in Kashmir along the active Line of Control with Pakistan and successfully managed the hinterland of North Kashmir by the President of India and his distinguished service as DG DIA and as GOC on the LC.

He has been associated with Human Resource Management in the Indian Army at various levels for a substantial period. From his initial days in uniform he has had hands on experience in the sectors now famous - Doklam and Eastern Ladakh.

He has been working towards India’s Defence Cooperation in the region and in the extended neighbourhood. He has dealt with Space, Cyber and new forms of disruptive technologies and asymmetrical options. Policy reforms and technological innovations are his fields of expertise.

He carries with him tremendous knowledge and experience of national security matters related to Indian adversaries, in conventional and sub conventional warfare. He has over four decades of experience in military matters . The new forms of warfare in various domains are the concerns of the nation and he is working closely towards shaping Indian preparations collaboratively.