Lt Gen Subramanian Appointed Commander of UN Peacekeeping in South Sudan

NEW YORK, NY (IANS) – UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appointed Lt Gen. Mohan Subramanian as the commander of UN peacekeeping in South Sudan, the largest troop deployment in UN missions, Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric announced July 5.

Subramanian succeeds Lt Gen Shailesh Tinaikar, also of India, as the force commander of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

The mission set up in 2011 has 17,982 personnel, of whom 13,254 are troops, the most in the 13 current UN peacekeeping operations. India has contributed 2,385 troops and 30 police personnel to UNMISS.

Subramanian was the commandant of the Defense Services Staff College. He was most recently the General Officer Commanding, in Central India “contributing to the Army’s operational and logistic preparedness”. He had earlier served in a UN peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone.

Subramanian has been awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal, and Vishisht Seva Medal.

He studied at the Sainik School in Amaravatinagar in Tamil Nadu, the National Defense Academy, Khadakwasla, and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.

He is also a graduate of the Defense Services Staff College, Wellington, the Higher Command Course at Army War College, Mhow and the Advanced Professional Program in Public Administration, Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi.

He has MPhil degrees in Defense and Management Studies as well as Social Sciences and has completed programs in Defense and Strategic Studies, Human Rights and Public Administration.