Commissioned into the Indian Army in December 1957, the General Officer commanded two battalions of the Maratha Light Infantry, a mechanised brigade group and a Mechanised Division. Served in operational assignments including counter-insurgency operations and took part in the 1965 and 1971 wars on the sub-continent. A graduate of the Australian Staff College (1968), he served with a training team in Iraq (1977-79), was on the faculty of the Defence Services Staff College (1980-81), and was Military Adviser at the High Commission of India in London (1984-87). As Director General of Military Operations (1991), he led two defence delegations for discussions with Pakistan. Appointed the first Force Commander and Head of the United Nations forces in the former Yugoslavia he set up and ran the mission from 3rd March 1992 to 2nd March 1993. Retired as the Deputy Chief of the Army Staff on 31st August 1994. Is a recipient of the Vir Chakra for bravery in battle, and the Ati Vishist Seva Medal and Param Vishist Seva Medal for distinguished service. Director of the United Service Institution of India since 01 July 1996, he is on the International Advisory Council of the Folke Bernadotte Academy, Sandoverken, Sweden, and is an inaugural member of the International Advisory Board of the ‘Security Council Report’ and the Advisory Council of the International Network to Promote Rule of Law (INPROL).

Was Adviser to the Government of Sri Lanka on certain aspects of the peace process in 2002/2003. Served from 02 November 2003 to 30 November 2004 on a sixteen- member High Level Panel appointed by the Secretary General of the United Nations to review the status of international collective security mechanisms and make recommendations for reform. Is a member of an Expert Legal Inquiry set up by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) to ascertain whether there have been violations of International Humanitarian Law during the operations in Lebanon in July/August 2006.