Lieutenant General Devendra Sharma, PVSM, AVSM, SM, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Army Training Command (ARTRAC), superannuated from the Indian Army on 31 Aug 2026, drawing curtains on 39 years of distinguished service to the Nation.
A second-generation officer, he belongs to a family that has collectively rendered over a century of service to the Nation. His father, the late Wing Commander Shiv Kumar Sharma, an Indian Air Force fighter pilot, saw combat in four operations - Goa in 1961, Fukcheh & Demchok in 1962, Halwara in 1965 and Pathankot in 1971. Shot down over Sargodha in 1965 and ejecting with a spinal fracture, he fought his way back to fitness to fly fighters again by 1971. His father-in-law, Brigadier Sarjeet Singh Kaler (Retd), saw combat in all three major wars - Rezangla in 1962 with 1 JAT LIGHT INFANTRY in the Amritsar-Lahore Sector in 1965 and as Adjutant of 1 JAT in 1971. He later commanded 2 Mechanised Infantry (1 JAT). Gen Devendra Sharma’s elder brother, Air Commodore Shailendra Sharma, Vayu Sena Medal (Retd), a Mirage 2000 pilot, flew strikes over Kargil, Dras and Mushkoh during Operation VIJAY in 1999.
An alumnus of Mayo College, Ajmer, the General Officer distinguished himself early. At the National Defence Academy (71 Course) he was the Academy Cadet Captain. At the Indian Military Academy (81 Regular Course) he was once again the Academy Under Officer and won the coveted Sword of Honour and the Sikh Light Infantry Medal for Best Sportsman – a rare distinction of being adjudged both the best cadet and the finest sportsman of his course. He was commissioned into ‘THE SCINDE HORSE’, an old Armoured Regiment of the Indian Army on
19 December 1987.
Early in his career, while serving with 11 RAJPUTANA RIFLES in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir under Operation RAKSHAK, he was decorated with the Sena Medal for Gallantry. He went on to command The SCINDE HORSE, an Armoured Brigade, an Infantry Division and a Pivot Corps – all along the Western Front. In addition, Lt Gen Devendra Sharma held key staff appointments including BGS (Operations) of a Strike Corps, Major General General Staff (Operations) and Chief of Staff at Command Headquarters. He has been deputed for serving abroad twice. First, he was the GSO-2 (Operations) at Headquarters Indian Military Training Team in Bhutan and later he served with the United Nations Peace Keeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) as the Chief Military Personnel Officer, administering over 21,000 troops from 52 Nations.
An alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and the Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi, he won the ‘Chief of Army Staff Trophy’ for standing First in the overall order of merit at the College of Defence Management and was conferred the JTM Gibson Award for Professional Excellence and Inspiring Leadership by Mayo College Ajmer in 2024. He assumed command of the Army Training Command as its 25th Army Commander on 01 July 2024.
His tenure at ARTRAC has been among the most consequential in the Command’s history. ARTRAC promulgated the COAS Quadrennial Training Directive 2025-2029; pioneered Drone Warfare Training, with over 50,000 personnel trained and the unmanned dimension converted from a niche skill into a basic military competency; initiated the establishment of Manoeuvre Warfare Ranges, Urban Warfare Nodes and Cyber & EW Ranges; and institutionalised ‘Vidur Vakta’ (cognitive Red Teaming) for pan-Army adoption. Under him, ARTRAC delivered 74 publications, five seminal Doctrines, 40 MoUs with premier Academic Institutions, 33 Seminars and steered 15 Establishments as Centres of Expertise to absorb 33 Niche Technologies by 2030.
His tenure also left a visible imprint on Himachal Pradesh and Shimla. HQ ARTRAC dedicated ‘Shraddhanjali Sthal’ at Annandale on 23 March 2026 - the State capitals first and only memorial for its war heroes, crowned by a 52-foot National Flag. The Army Heritage Museum was reoriented (emerging as the highest-rated museum in Himachal), with a new Annandale Gallery and AR-VR Experience Centre. For the 13,675-strong Veteran Community, he steered the renovation of the Shimla CSD Canteen, relocation of the Hamirpur CSD Canteen and re-location of the Shimla ECHS Polyclinic into Military Hospital Shimla. Civil-Military Fusion found expression in the Army Day Run, Kargil Vijay Diwas commemorations at the Gaiety Theatre, ‘Yodha Samman’ cash awards to Veterans and GOC-in-C Commendations conferred on ten civilians, including State Police personnel.
He leaves in active pursuit the Land Warfare Doctrine 2026, the blueprint for the Indian Army Futures Training Command (IAFTC) to build a future-ready force, absorption of new-generation equipment and emerging technologies and sweeping Exam Cell Reforms to preserve meritocracy.
On 28 Aug 2026, the Army Commander addressed all officers of the Army Training Command through Video Conference. In his address he highlighted the transformation of ARTRAC into a key driver of multi-domain readiness and outlined crucial training imperatives for the 21st Century Battlespace. Drawing from evolving global conflicts and threat manifestations across both Western & Northern borders, he emphasised full-spectrum preparation, rapid technology absorption alongwith empowered, resilient & agile combat-oriented junior leadership. Calling for an institutional shift from ‘process orientation’ to ‘product delivery’, the Army Commander strongly advocated for the establishment of the Indian Army Futures Training Command (IAFTC) as a unified mechanism to build a proactive, adaptive and technology-enabled force. Reaffirming that the soldier remains the core focus of all institutional effort, he exhorted all ranks to reject zero-error syndrome, foster inclusive leadership and continue setting high standards for the future of military training & operational readiness.
Lt Gen Devendra Sharma is the first Lieutenant General and Army Commander of his Regiment, The SCINDE HORSE and its longest-serving officer. In addition, he has been the Colonel of 12 Armoured Regiments – 4 HORSE (Hodsons Horse), 14 HORSE (The Scinde Horse), 20 LANCERS, 42 Armoured Regiment, 46 Armoured Regiment, 54 Armoured Regiment, 63 CAVALRY, 67 Armoured Regiment, 70 Armoured Regiment, 81 Armoured Regiment, 84 Armoured Regiment and 88 Armoured Regiment. On his superannuation, he demits the Colonelcy of these fine Regiments whom he had the privilege to mentor over the last five years.
On 31 Aug 2026, the day of his superannuation, Lt Gen Devendra Sharma laid a wreath at the ‘Shradhanjali Sthal’ to pay homage to all those who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. Later he was given a Guard of Honour by the Samman Guard of 111 Infantry Battalion Territorial Army (KUMAON) at Annadale.
A consummate professional and a quintessential soldier, Lt Gen Devendra Sharma leaves the Indian Army with a legacy of Visionary Leadership, Institutional Reform and Unwavering Commitment to the Nation.