Shimla: Lieutenant General Devendra Sharma, PVSM, AVSM, SM, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Army Training Command (ARTRAC), will superannuate from the Indian Army on Aug 31, drawing the curtain on a distinguished 39-year career marked by key operational, command and training assignments.A second-generation officer from a family with more than a century of collective military service, Lt Gen Sharma’s career spans command appointments across the Western Front, international assignments and, most recently, stewardship of the Army’s premier training command.An alumnus of Mayo College, the National Defence Academy (71 Course) and the Indian Military Academy (81 Regular Course), he was awarded the Sword of Honour and Sikh Light Infantry Medal before being commissioned into THE SCINDE HORSE on Dec 19, 1987. He went on to become the regiment’s longest-serving officer, its first Lieutenant General and Army Commander, besides serving as Colonel of 12 Armoured Regiments.Awarded the Sena Medal for gallantry during Operation RAKSHAK while serving with 11 Rajputana Rifles, Lt Gen Sharma commanded an Armoured Brigade, an Infantry Division and a Pivot Corps along the Western Front. He also served in Bhutan and as Chief Military Personnel Officer for the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.As the 25th Army Commander of ARTRAC, a position he assumed on July 1, 2024, Lt Gen Sharma oversaw a series of training and doctrinal initiatives. During his tenure, ARTRAC promulgated the COAS Quadrennial Training Directive 2025-2029, trained more than 50,000 personnel in drone warfare, established specialised training ranges and institutionalised the Vidur Vakta initiative.Under his leadership, ARTRAC produced 74 publications, brought out five doctrines and signed 40 MoUs with academic institutions. In Shimla, he dedicated the Shraddhanjali Sthal war memorial at Annandale, upgraded the Army Heritage Museum, improved facilities for veterans and strengthened civil-military engagement.Among the key legacies of his tenure are the Land Warfare Doctrine 2026 and the blueprint for the Indian Army Futures Training Command (IAFTC).In his farewell address on Aug 28, Lt Gen Sharma emphasised product-delivery orientation, technology absorption and resilient junior leadership. On his final day in office, he laid a wreath at Shraddhanjali Sthal and was accorded a Guard of Honour by the 111 Infantry Battalion Territorial Army (Kumaon).
