Yogesh Kumar Joshi

Lieutenant General Yogesh Kumar Joshi, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VrC, SM, ADC (born 5 January 1962) is a former general officer of the Indian Army. He last served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command. He earlier served as the Chief of staff of the Northern Command, and commanded the Leh-based Fire & Fury Corps.

During the Kargil War, he was awarded the Vir Chakra for his command of the 13th Battalion, The Jammu and Kashmir Rifles which captured the strategically vital Point 5140.

He is currently the Director General of the Center for Contemporary China Studies, a think-tank of the Government of India functioning under the Ministry of External Affairs.

Early life and education Joshi was born to Rampal Joshi, from Faridabad, Haryana. His father was an employee of Indian Railways and was part of the railways’ accounts department. He was schooled in Jhansi and Faridabad where he attended the Kendriya Vidyalaya. He joined the National Defence Academy as part of the 60th course. Part of the Kilo squadron at the NDA, he graduated in 1981 and joined the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.

Military career After graduating from the IMA, Joshi was commissioned into the 13th battalion, the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles on 12 June 1982. In the early years of service, he served as an instructor at the Infantry School, Mhow where he was responsible to impart training on Anti Tank Weapon Systems. He later attended the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and was subsequently posted to the Military Operations Directorate. He also served as a Military Observer in the United Nations Angola Verification Mission III.

Under Joshi's leadership, the battalion was extremely successful during the war, and was conferred with the title of the Bravest of the Brave. The battalion received more than 25 gallantry awards, including two Param Vir Chakras (the other recipient was Rifleman Sanjay Kumar, PVC), eight Vir Chakras (including him) and fourteen Sena Medals. His gesture of giving honourable burials to Pakistani troops who perished on the icy heights of Kargil fetched him praise.

Vir Chakra Citation The citation for the Vir Chakra reads as follows:

Post-war career In 2005, Joshi was appointed the Defence attaché at the Embassy of India, Beijing. He spent about three years as the DA during which he negotiated the technicalities of the first India-China joint exercise “Hand-in-Hand” in Kunming in 2007. Promoted to the rank of Brigadier, Joshi took over command of the 114 Infantry Brigade in Chushul in eastern Ladakh. He subsequently attended the National Defence College as part of the 52nd course in 2012.

General officer

Joshi was promoted to the rank of Major general and appointed General officer commanding of the 3rd Infantry Division. Christened Trishul Division, it is part of the XIV Corps and headquartered at Karu in Ladakh. On 1 September 2018, he took command of the XIV Corps in Leh, whose area of responsibility was the whole of Ladakh. For his command of XIV Corps, he was awarded the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal on 26 January 2020. After a year-long tenure, he moved to Headquarters Northern Command as the Chief of Staff.

After a short stint as COS, Joshi was appointed the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command. He took over from Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh on 1 February 2020. He was the Northern Army Commander during the 2020–2021 China–India skirmishes. As Army Commander, he is credited with spearheading the Indian response to the PLA's attempt to alter the status quo on the Line of Actual Control by use of force in 2020 during Operation Snow Leopard.

In popular culture Joshi has been portrayed twice in films, first by actor Sanjay Dutt in LOC: Kargil (2003) and second by actor Shataf Figar in Shershaah (2021). His autobiography, Who Dares Wins, was published in 2025.

Awards and decorations Joshi was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2022, the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal in 2020, the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2016, the Sena Medal in 2014 and the Vir Chakra on Independence Day 1999 for gallantry in Operation Vijay.

Dates of rank