New Delhi, Jun 30 (IANS): Lieutenant General Sanjeev Kumar Sharma will assume charge as the Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) on Thursday, the Indian Army stated on Wednesday.

The Deputy COAS (Strategy), a third and a new vertical created for overseeing the Indian Army's operations and intelligence directorates, among other important branches, is one of the most crucial appointments within the Indian Army.

Lt Gen Sharma will take over from Lt Gen Paramjit Singh who superannuated on Wednesday after completing 39 years of illustrious career in the Army.

Lt Gen Sharma was the Director General of Military Intelligence prior to assuming this key appointment.

The officer is an alumnus of the Rashtriya Military School, Bengaluru, and was commissioned into the Rajputana Rifles in December 1983.

The officer has served across a wide spectrum of conflicts and terrain profiles and tenanted a host of command, staff and instructional appointments.

He has commanded an infantry battalion in an active counter-insurgency environment in the Northeast, an Infantry Brigade deployed along the Line of Control and thereafter commanded an Infantry Division and a Corps in the Western sector.

An alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington, Higher Defence Management Course in Secunderabad and the National Defence College in New Delhi, he has held prestigious staff appointments at the Military Operations Directorate, Headquarters of Northern and Army Training Command, Headquarters of Chinar Corps and Headquarters of an Artillery Division.

He has been an instructor at the Indian Military Academy and has also served as a Military Observer with the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL).

The officer also holds a doctorate in Defence and Strategic Studies from the Pune University.