Lieutenant General Arun Sahni is a former Army Commander of the Indian Army with extensive operational, strategic, and diplomatic experience in India and abroad. A distinguished officer from the outset, he was awarded the Sword of Honour and the President’s Gold Medal upon commissioning. Over the course of his career, he developed deep expertise in internal and external security, counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations, mechanised warfare, border management, military diplomacy, and operational preparedness. In senior command appointments, he was responsible for India’s borders with China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and later Pakistan. His key staff roles included assignments in Military Operations and service as Director General of Information Technology, while his diplomatic posting in Russia and professional training in the United Kingdom broadened his understanding of military modernisation, strategic assets, cyber capabilities, and the application of information technology in defence. He is widely respected for his academic excellence and incisive analysis of security and defence issues, geostrategic shifts in the global order, developments in India’s neighbourhood, the Northeast and Act East policy, and cyber security. He is also a regular speaker at strategic and policy forums.
Following his military career, Lt Gen Sahni has remained actively engaged in public policy, education, technology, and social development. He mentors startups pro bono in cyber technology and robotics, leads the environmental policy group COR–India, and serves on the governing council of Development Alternatives. He is associated with educational institutions in Delhi and Jaipur and serves as Chairman of the International Award for Young People, India’s Duke of Edinburgh Award programme. He is a Distinguished Fellow at leading think tanks, a member of the Governing Council of the India Foundation, and an advisor to Tata Aerospace and Defence on Make in India defence initiatives. An accomplished sportsman, he is also an avid golfer and polo player.
