NE DEFENCE BUREAU
CHENNAI, SEPT 3
At a time when military leadership is increasingly shaped not only by battlefield strength but also by technology, information dominance, connectivity and strategic outreach, Lieutenant General Ulhas Kirpekar has assumed charge of Dakshin Bharat Area—bringing to the formation an unusually broad spectrum of command, operational and technology-driven experience.
Lt Gen Ulhas Kirpekar, AVSM, SM commenced his duties as #GOC #DakshinBharatArea by laying a wreath at the #VictoryWarMemorial, #Chennai, paying homage to the bravehearts who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the Nation.#IndianArmy #SouthernCommand#ADGPI
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— Defence PRO Chennai (@Def_PRO_Chennai) September 3, 2026
Lieutenant General Ulhas Kirpekar assumed the appointment of General Officer Commanding (GOC), Dakshin Bharat Area, of the Indian Army with effect from September 1, 2026.
He commenced his tenure by laying a wreath at the Victory War Memorial in Chennai, paying tribute to soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the nation.
The solemn first engagement of the new GOC underlined a leadership philosophy in which operational preparedness and technological modernisation remain inseparable from the Army’s enduring traditions of service, sacrifice and remembrance.
A signals officer with a strategic technology edge
Commissioned into the Corps of Signals in December 1989, Lt Gen Kirpekar is a second-generation Signals officer and an alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA).
His professional education reflects the changing character of warfare and national security.
He is a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Senior Command, Higher Command and National Defence College (NDC) courses.
Adding a strong technological dimension to his military career, he holds a Master of Technology in Computer Science from IIT-Kanpur and a Master of Science in Information Warfare from the Naval Postgraduate School, USA.
That combination of military command training, computer science and information warfare places him at the intersection of traditional military operations and the technology-intensive battlespace of the 21st century.
Command experience across diverse battlefield environments
During his distinguished career, Lt Gen Kirpekar has served in diverse operational environments and challenging terrain.
He commanded a Mountain Division Signal Regiment in the Eastern Sector as well as a specialised intelligence unit, giving him exposure to both communications and intelligence dimensions of military operations.
His staff experience has been equally wide-ranging.
He has served in important appointments at the Directorate General of Military Operations, Directorate General of Information Systems and a Corps Headquarters in the Eastern Theatre.
He also served with the Project Management Organisation of the Tactical Communication System, a key technology-oriented military assignment.
His subsequent responsibilities included serving as Chief Signal Officer at a Corps Headquarters in the Ladakh region, Chief Signal Officer, Eastern Command, and Additional Director General, Administration and Coordination, at Army Headquarters.
He later served as Director General Financial Planning, adding a critical resource-management dimension to his leadership profile.
His instructional assignments included tenures at the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering, Mhow, and the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington.
Decorated service, wider responsibility
His distinguished service has earned Lt Gen Kirpekar two significant military decorations.
He was awarded the Sena Medal (Distinguished) on January 26, 2023, followed by the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal on January 26, 2025.
He was appointed the 72nd Colonel Commandant of the Corps of Signals with effect from December 1, 2024.
The latest appointment places him at the helm of a formation whose responsibilities extend well beyond purely military functions.
Beyond the barracks: A broader southern outreach
As GOC, Dakshin Bharat Area, Lt Gen Kirpekar will oversee the formation’s operational, logistical, administrative and welfare responsibilities.
A significant part of his mandate will also involve strengthening the Army’s engagement with civil administration, veterans, youth and the wider community across the region.
The appointment comes with an additional strategic dimension: strengthening the Army’s outreach to the growing defence industry in southern India.
With defence manufacturing, indigenous technology, innovation and industry–military partnerships becoming increasingly important to India’s security architecture, the Dakshin Bharat Area provides an important platform for closer engagement between the Armed Forces, civil institutions, veterans, young people and the emerging defence ecosystem.
Lt Gen Kirpekar’s career—spanning Signals, intelligence, information systems, tactical communications, military operations, education and financial planning—offers a distinctive leadership profile for this expanded mandate.
His arrival in Chennai thus represents more than a change of command: it places a technology-oriented and strategically experienced military leader at the helm of an Army formation increasingly positioned at the intersection of national security, society and India’s expanding defence-industrial landscape.
