JAMMU, Oct. 1
Lieutenant General Mohit Seth on Thursday assumed command of the Indian Army’s strategically important White Knight Corps, or XVI Corps, taking over responsibility for a sensitive operational area encompassing the Line of Control and the hinterland south of the Pir Panjal in Jammu and Kashmir.
Lt Gen Seth, a recipient of the Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal, succeeded Lieutenant General P K Mishra, who relinquished command after leading the Nagrota-based formation since April 2025.
After taking charge, the new Corps Commander called upon all ranks to maintain the highest standards of operational readiness, professional excellence and team spirit while continuing efforts towards peace, security and stability in the region.
“Prepared For Today, Ready For Tomorrow. We Serve, We Protect,” the White Knight Corps said while announcing the change of command.
Lt Gen Seth brings more than three decades of military experience to an appointment that places him at the centre of the Army’s security responsibilities in the Jammu region.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy and National Defence College, he was commissioned into the 3 Madras Regiment in 1991.
His previous assignments include command of the Counter-Insurgency Force Kilo, a Rashtriya Rifles formation responsible for counter-terrorism operations in north Kashmir.
That assignment gives the new Corps Commander substantial experience of the operational environment in Jammu and Kashmir at a time when security agencies continue to focus on infiltration and terrorist activity across the region.
Lt Gen Seth has also held important command and staff appointments in Jammu and Kashmir, the Northeast and Army Headquarters.
Before taking charge of XVI Corps, he was serving as Commandant of the Indian Military Training Team, or IMTRAT, the Indian Army’s training establishment in Bhutan.
His career also includes an overseas diplomatic-military assignment as the Indian Army Liaison Officer at the High Commission of India in the United Kingdom.
He now takes charge of one of the Indian Army’s most operationally significant formations in the northern theatre.
Headquartered at Nagrota near Jammu, the White Knight Corps operates under the Army’s Northern Command and has extensive responsibilities across the Jammu region.
Its operational area stretches south of the Pir Panjal and includes strategically sensitive areas along the Line of Control as well as the hinterland.
The Corps has responsibilities covering areas including Rajouri, Poonch and parts of the Chenab Valley, where counter-terrorism operations have remained an important security priority.
Its responsibilities combine conventional military preparedness along the frontier with counter-infiltration, counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency duties in the hinterland.
This makes command of XVI Corps particularly significant because threats in its area can range from attempts to infiltrate across the Line of Control to terrorist movement through difficult forested and mountainous terrain.
Lt Gen Seth’s emphasis on operational readiness while assuming command reflects those responsibilities.
The change of command comes as security forces maintain pressure on terrorist networks and continue search and intelligence-led operations across parts of the Jammu region.
Lt Gen Seth succeeds Lt Gen P K Mishra, a highly decorated officer who took command of the White Knight Corps on April 1, 2025.
Lt Gen Mishra is a recipient of the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Yudh Seva Medal and Sena Medal. He is expected to move to a new assignment after relinquishing command.
For Lt Gen Seth, the new appointment marks a return to a major operational role in Jammu and Kashmir after previously commanding Counter-Insurgency Force Kilo in north Kashmir.
His experience across counter-insurgency operations, conventional Army appointments and international military engagement will now come together in a command responsible for one of India’s most sensitive security theatres.
His immediate message to the formation was centred on preparedness, professionalism and teamwork, while maintaining the wider objective of peace and stability.
As the new General Officer Commanding of White Knight Corps, Lt Gen Seth will now oversee the formation’s operational responsibilities along the Line of Control and across its hinterland areas, where maintaining readiness against both conventional and terrorist threats remains a central task.
