Lieutenant General Sandeep Jain assumed command as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of Southern Command on first April 2026, succeeding Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth, who took over as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff. The change of command was officiated at Headquarters Southern Command and was attended by senior military leadership. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA), he was commissioned into the MAHAR Regiment in June 1988 and brings nearly four decades of service. He has commanded an infantry battalion in semi-developed terrain and in the United Nations mission in South Sudan, an infantry brigade in a Strike Corps, a counter insurgency force and a pivot corps in Northern Command. He also serves as the Colonel of the MAHAR Regiment. His operational experience includes participation in Operation Pawan, service as a military observer with the United Nations mission in Ethiopia, and multiple tenures in high-altitude areas as well as counter-insurgency operations along the Line of Control and in the North East. Prior to assuming command, he served as Chief of Staff at Headquarters Southern Command where he contributed to capability development, force restructuring and overall operational preparedness. He has attended the Higher Command Course at the Army War College and the National Defence Course in Kenya. He has been awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and the Sena Medal in recognition of distinguished service. On assuming command he paid homage at the Southern Command War Memorial and received a guard of honour at Headquarters Southern Command. He indicated that the Command will prioritise operational readiness across deserts, the Rann and Creek Sector, the coastline, island territories and the hinterland, and he directed emphasis on strengthening jointness, indigenous capability development and technology absorption under the JAI framework to maintain high standards of preparedness, professionalism and combat readiness.