at
New Delhi on 15 March 2010. Kapoor was commissioned into the
Regiment of Artillery on 11 June 1967. He is an alumnus of
Sainik School, Kunjpura;
National Defence Academy Khadakwasla (30th Course) and
Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. His career in the Indian Army spans four decades, during which he has held varied command and as well as staff appointments. A veteran of the
1971 Indo-Pak War in the eastern theatre (Bangladesh), he is an alumnus of the
Defence Services Staff College in Wellington and has completed the Higher Command Course at
Army War College, Mhow and the National Defence College course at the
National Defence College in New Delhi. He served as the Chief Operations Officer for UNOSOM II (
United Nations Operation in Somalia II) during 1994–95 and was awarded the
Vishisht Seva Medal in January 1996. Kapoor commanded the 161 Infantry Brigade in Uri,
Jammu & Kashmir which was actively involved in operations along the
Line of Control. For his performance he was awarded the
Sena Medal in January 1998. He commanded the 22nd Mountain Division as part of a Strike Corps during
Operation Parakram in 2001–02. He was thereafter deeply involved in counter insurgency operations combating the insurgency in
Assam, as Chief of Staff of 4 Corps in
Tezpur. On promotion to
Lieutenant General, he commanded 33 Corps at
Siliguri,
West Bengal. For his service as a Corps Commander, he was awarded the
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in January 2006. On elevation to the appointment of Army Commander, he commanded the
Army Training Command (ARTRAC) in Shimla. Thereafter he moved to spearhead the
Northern Command (India), the largest operational command in the Indian Army, deployed over varied terrain and was once again actively involved in COIN operations. For his performance, he was awarded the
Param Vishisht Seva Medal in January 2007. Kapoor was appointed as the Honorary Aide-De-Camp to the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the President of India. He was also the senior Colonel Commandant of the
Regiment of Artillery. Kapoor was Vice-Chief of the Army before taking over as the Chief of Army Staff. == Personal life ==