Lieutenant General Dewan Rabindranath Soni, an Armoured Corps officer of 1979 batch, assumed command of the Indian Army's Pune-based Southern Command on Friday. <br/><br/>The solemn ceremony commenced with wreath laying by the General Officer at the National War Memorial, Pune to pay homage to the martyrs and later reviewed an impressive guard of honour at the Headquarters in Camp. <br/><br/>Prior to the current assignment, he was General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Army Training Command since September 17, 2016. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla and Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, he was commissioned in the Central India Horse in June 1979. He moved to 47 Armoured Regiment on raising in 1983, a unit which he commanded from July 1999 to December 2001.<br/><br/>In his illustrious career spanning over 39 years, he has commanded an Armoured Brigade, Armoured Division and a Corps on the Western Front. He has also served as an United Nations Military Observer in Iraq and Kuwait, post "Gulf War-1". <br/><br/>He has been Brigade Major of an Armd Brigade, Col Administration of a Counter Insurgency Force in J&K and was posted as Col General Staff of a Mountain Division in Eastern Sector.<br/><br/>General Soni has been an Instructor Class 'C' at Armoured Corps Centre and School, Ahmednagar, a Directing Staff in the Senior Command Wing at Army War College, Mhow and has served as Commander, School of Technical Training at Armoured Corps Centre and School, Ahmednagar. <br/><br/>He has been awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal, Chief of the Army Staff's Commendation Card and Commendation Card of the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command.<br/><br/>