ARTRAC Chief Lt Gen Devendra Sharma Retires After Four-Decade Career

The Army Training Command (ARTRAC) has bid farewell to Lt Gen Devendra Sharma, PVSM, AVSM, SM, on his superannuation on August 31, 2026, bringing to a close more than four decades of military service. The farewell ceremony at the Army’s training headquarters reflected both his long operational career and his role in shaping the institution’s approach to future-ready training.

Lt Gen Sharma took charge as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, ARTRAC, on July 1, 2024. Commissioned into the 14th Horse (Scinde Horse) on December 19, 1987, he went on to serve in a wide range of command and staff appointments across operational formations and training institutions. His career included command of an armoured regiment, an armoured brigade, an infantry division and Vajra Corps.

His service record also spans several significant operational and overseas assignments. As a young officer, he served in Jammu and Kashmir during Operation Rakshak, where he was awarded the Sena Medal for gallantry. He later served as an instructor at the National Defence Academy, as Staff Officer Operations with the Indian Military Training Team in Bhutan, and as Chief Military Personnel Officer with the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Before assuming command of ARTRAC, Lt Gen Sharma was the Chief of Staff of Western Command and had earlier commanded Vajra Corps. The range of his appointments, across conventional, counter-insurgency and high-altitude environments, gave him a broad operational perspective that informed his leadership of the Army’s training command.

During his tenure at ARTRAC, the focus remained on preparing the Indian Army for a more complex and technology-driven battlefield. Under his leadership, the command contributed to the formulation of important military doctrines and worked to strengthen the institutional framework for future-oriented training and capability development.

A central part of that effort was the greater absorption of emerging and disruptive technologies into the training system. ARTRAC institutionalised drone and counter-drone training on a significant scale and pushed wider awareness and adoption of technology across military training establishments. It also developed modern training infrastructure aimed at reinforcing the intellectual, professional and technological base of the Army.

The initiatives were intended to keep training aligned with the changing character of warfare, in which unmanned systems, artificial intelligence, information dominance, counter-drone capabilities and other emerging technologies are increasingly influencing battlefield outcomes.

As part of the farewell programme, the Army Commander paid tribute to fallen soldiers at Shradhanjali Sthal before a ceremonial Guard of Honour was presented. The proceedings formally recognised Lt Gen Sharma’s leadership of ARTRAC and his long service in uniform.

Lt Gen Sharma’s career has been decorated with some of the Army’s highest honours. He was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2025 and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2022, in addition to the Sena Medal for gallantry. He has also received the Central Army Commander’s Commendation Card and UN Force Commander’s Appreciation.

His military education includes the National Defence Academy, Indian Military Academy, Defence Services Staff College, College of Defence Management and the Indian Institute of Public Administration. At the Indian Military Academy, he was awarded the Sword of Honour for standing first in overall merit. He later received the Chief of Army Staff Trophy for standing first in overall order of merit during the Higher Defence Management Course at the College of Defence Management.

With his retirement, Lt Gen Devendra Sharma leaves behind a tenure at ARTRAC marked by doctrinal development, professional military education, technology-enabled training and an emphasis on preparing the Indian Army for future warfare. His departure closes a career defined by operational command, institutional leadership and sustained involvement in modernising the Army’s training architecture.