Lieutenant General Shantonu Choudhry, who headed the Army Training Command in Shimla, was on Saturday appointed the Vice Chief of Army Staff.

Lt Gen J J Singh will replace Lt Gen Choudhry at the ATC. Lt Gen Singh is the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of One Corps.

They will take over their respective posts on January one, he said.

Commissioned in 1963 in the artillery regiment, Lt Gen Choudhry also commanded the 11 Corps in Jallandhar.

He headed the elite 'Victor Force' in the Kashmir valley and later rose to become the additional director general, Military Intelligence during 'Operation Vijay' in Kargil.

Lt Gen Singh was commissioned in 1964 in the Maratha Light Infantry.