Lt. Gen. Anil Chait, who spearheaded the army's relief efforts in Uttarakhand, Monday took over as chief of the tri-service Integrated Defence Staff (IDS).
Gen. Chait, who earlier headed the Lucknow-based Central Command, has held key command and staff appointments in a career spanning over 39 years, an official statement said.
He has been associated with the Special Action Group (Black Cats) of the National Security Guard.
An armoured corps officer, Gen. Chait served on the Line of Control in Kashmir when India mobilized its army on the border with Pakistan following the terrorist attack on the Indian parliament Dec 13, 2001.
Gen. Chait attended the US Army War College and was awarded the medal of excellence. He also headed the Army War College, where he set up a study centre for domain specialization and transformation of the college into a centre of excellence for training leaders to win wars.