New Delhi: Defence investiture ceremony 2026 became a proud moment for Indian Armed Forces as President Droupadi Murmu presented 105 Distinguished Service Decorations to personnel of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Indian Coast Guard. The awards were presented during Defence Investiture Ceremony 2026 (Phase-II) at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, on June 29, 2026, recognizing outstanding service of exceptional order.
Defence Investiture Ceremony 2026: President Honours India’s Finest Military Personnel
President Droupadi Murmu presented the prestigious service medals to officers who displayed exceptional dedication, leadership and distinguished service during their careers.
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According to the official government release, the awards included:
- 7 Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medals (SYSM)
- 30 Param Vishisht Seva Medals (PVSM)
- 12 Uttam Yudh Seva Medals (UYSM)
- 56 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals (AVSM)
Awards Given Across Army, Navy, Air Force and Indian Coast Guard
The decorations were awarded to serving and retired officers from:
- Indian Army
- Indian Navy
- Indian Air Force
- Indian Coast Guard
The honours recognize distinguished service of exceptional order and outstanding contributions to India’s defence and national security.
Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal Awardees
Seven senior military officers received the Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal, one of India’s highest distinguished service awards during peacetime.
Among the recipients were Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma, Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor, Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti, Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh (Retd.), Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari (Retd.) and Air Marshal Jetendra Mishra.
Param Vishisht Seva Medal Recipients
The President also presented 30 Param Vishisht Seva Medals to senior officers from the Army, Navy and Air Force.
Recipients included Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, Lieutenant General Manjinder Singh, Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Air Marshal Tejinder Singh, Air Marshal Seethepalli Shrinivas and several other distinguished officers.
Who is Admiral Krishna Swaminathan
Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM is a distinguished four-star flag officer who serves as the 27th Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) of the Indian Navy, having assumed command on May 31, 2026. Over a stellar career spanning nearly four decades, he has established himself as a highly accomplished operational commander, educator, and strategic thinker.
Early Life and Education
Born in Bangalore, Karnataka, to a family of educators, Admiral Swaminathan’s military journey began at Sainik School, Bijapur, before he entered the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla.
He is one of the most highly qualified academic minds in the Indian Armed Forces, holding a vast array of degrees:
- BSc from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
- MSc in Telecommunications from Cochin University of Science and Technology
- MA in Defence Studies from King’s College London
- MPhil & PhD in International Studies from Mumbai University
He also honed his strategic acumen globally at the Joint Services Command and Staff College (UK) and the United States Naval War College.
Naval Career & Key Commands
Commissioned into the Indian Navy on July 1, 1987, Admiral Swaminathan specialized in Communication and Electronic Warfare. His career bridges the gap between high-level technological integration and traditional operational tactics.
He holds the rare distinction of commanding five front-line warships, including:
- The missile vessels INS Vidyut and INS Vinash
- The missile corvette INS Kulish
- The guided-missile destroyer INS Mysore
- The aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (serving as its second Commanding Officer)
Rise to Leadership
Upon attaining flag rank, he served as the Chief Staff Officer (Training) at the Southern Naval Command, where he played a pivotal role in raising the Indian Naval Safety Team (INST) to oversee operational safety metrics across the Navy.
He subsequently commanded the Western Fleet—frequently referred to as the “Sword Arm” of the Indian Navy. Before taking over as the ultimate chief of the service, he held several key administrative apex roles, including Controller of Personnel Services, Chief of Personnel, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, and the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the operationally critical Western Naval Command.
Awards and Vision
For his exceptional devotion to duty and distinguished service, he has been honored with India’s highest peacetime military decorations:
- Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM)
- Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM)
- Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM)
As the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Swaminathan champions a forward-looking “maritime-first” strategic perspective, prioritizing high operational readiness, comprehensive indigenisation (Atmanirbharata), and the rapid absorption of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and unmanned systems.
Uttam Yudh Seva Medal Recipients
A total of 12 officers received the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal for distinguished service during operations.
The awardees included Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth, Air Marshal Manish Khanna, Lieutenant General Prashant Srivastava, Lieutenant General Rajan Sharawat, Lieutenant General Abhijit S Pendharkar, Lieutenant General Gambhir Singh, Lieutenant General Prasanna Kishore Mishra, Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti and senior Air Force officers.
Who is Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth
Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth (PVSM, UYSM, AVSM) is a highly distinguished three-star general officer of the Indian Army who serves as the 49th Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS). In June 2026, the Government of India officially appointed him to succeed General Upendra Dwivedi as the 31st Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), with effect from June 30, 2026.
Spanning nearly four decades of service, his career is marked by top-tier command assignments, extensive experience in force modernization, and an exceptional record in professional military education.
Early Life and Education
Coming from a family with deep military roots, his father, Lt Gen Krishna Mohan Seth, is a retired Adjutant General of the Indian Army who also commanded the XXI Strike Corps, while his younger brother, Rear Admiral Ravnish Seth, serves in the Indian Navy.
Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla, and the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun. Throughout his career, he has consistently excelled in higher military education:
- National Honors: He is a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) in Wellington—where he was adjudged the best all-round student of his course in 2006—the Army War College in Mhow, and the National Defence College (NDC) in New Delhi.
- International Training: He attended the highly regarded Command and Staff Course at the Collège interarmées de Défense in Paris, France, and completed the International Defense Acquisition Management Course at the Naval Postgraduate School in the United States.
Military Career & Leadership Roles
Regimental & Field Commands
Lt Gen Seth was commissioned into the 2nd Lancers (Gardner’s Horse) of the elite Armoured Corps on December 20, 1986. Over the years, he has achieved the rare distinction of commanding operational formations at every single tier across highly diverse terrains:
- Regiment & Brigade: Commanded the Skinner’s Horse (Armoured Regiment) in the desert sector and the 98 Armoured Brigade in the Western Theatre.
- Counter-Insurgency: Led the Uniform Force, a specialized counter-insurgency formation in Jammu & Kashmir.
- Corps Commander: Commanded the XXI Sudarshan Chakra Corps, one of the Indian Army’s premier strike formations—notably commanding the exact same corps his father had led decades prior.
- GOC Delhi Area: Served as the General Officer Commanding (GOC), Delhi Area, managing essential national and international military engagements alongside key ceremonial responsibilities.
Theatre-Level Commands
On elevation to Army Commander, Lt Gen Seth achieved the uncommon milestone of providing strategic oversight to two distinct operational commands over a period of two and a half years:
- South Western Command: Assumed command on November 1, 2023, steering high-intensity mechanized operations.
- Southern Command: Took over on July 1, 2024, providing critical leadership over land-centric deterrence and cross-domain maritime interfaces until March 2026.
Staff and Strategic Formations
Beyond field operations, he has been a central architect in shaping the long-term force structuring of the Indian land forces. He has tenanted pivotal staff appointments in the Strategic Planning and Capability Development verticals at the Army Headquarters.
His contributions have been instrumental in engineering the Army’s modernization trajectory, aligning operational field requirements with emerging cutting-edge technologies. Internationally, he also served as an operations officer with the United Nations Angola Verification Mission III (UNAVEM III) from 1995 to 1996.
Awards and Decorations
For his distinguished service, strategic foresight, and exceptional devotion to duty, he has been honored with India’s highest peacetime military decorations:
- Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) – 2025
- Uttam Yudh Seva Medal (UYSM) – 2026
- Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) – 2022
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Awardees
The Ati Vishisht Seva Medal was presented to 56 personnel from the Army, Navy and Air Force. The recipients included Air Marshal Tarun Chaudhry, Lieutenant General Neeraj Varshney, Lieutenant General Vikas Rohella, Lieutenant General Harbinder Singh Vandra, Lieutenant General Mohinder Pal Singh, Vice Admiral Anand Y Sardesai and many other senior officers for their distinguished service.
Who is Lieutenant General Mohinder Pal Singh
Lieutenant General Mohinder Pal Singh, AVSM, YSM, SM is a highly distinguished, senior serving three-star general of the Indian Army. He currently serves in a pivotal administrative and operational role at the Army Headquarters.
Key Military Profile & Achievements
Regiment & Branch: Commissioned into the Infantry, the primary combat arm of the Indian Army, he has spent decades commanding troops across volatile operational terrains and high-altitude borders.
Current Appointment: He serves as the Director General Staff Duties (DG SD) at the Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence (Army). This crucial senior staff position oversees organizational structuring, staff policy formulation, and the overall coordination of internal army systems.
Distinguished Decorations: In recognition of his exceptional devotion to duty, leadership, and operational grit, he has been highly decorated by the President of India:
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM): Conferred recently by President Droupadi Murmu during the Defence Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan (June 2026) for distinguished service of an exceptional order.
Yudh Seva Medal (YSM): Awarded for high-order distinguished service during defined operational or wartime conditions.
Sena Medal (SM): Awarded for individual acts of exceptional devotion to duty or courage.
Throughout his career, Lt Gen Mohinder Pal Singh has earned a reputation as a highly strategic staff officer and a seasoned field commander, embodying the finest traditions of the Indian Infantry.
What is the Importance of Defence Investiture Ceremony
The Defence Investiture Ceremony is one of India’s most prestigious military award events. It honours members of the Armed Forces and the Indian Coast Guard who have shown exceptional professionalism, leadership and dedication in serving the nation.
