General VP Malik was born on 1st Nov 1939 at Dera Ismail Khan, NWFP, now in Pakistan . Alumni of the National Defence Academy , Khadakwasla and the Indian Military Academy , Dehradun, he was commissioned into 3 SIKH LI on 7th Jun 1959, and later commanded 10 SIKH LI. He commanded 162 Infantry Brigade in Jammu & Kashmir where he was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM).

In Dec 1989, he was appointed General Officer Commanding, 8 Mountain Division and in Aug 1992, he assumed command of 11 Corps in Punjab , where he oversaw anti-militancy operations in the state.

In Jul 1995, he was appointed General Officer Commanding -in- Chief Southern Command before moving to Army Headquarters as Vice Chief of Army Staff in August 1996. He was decorated with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) in 1996.

He assumed the charge of Indian Army as the 19th Chief of Army Staff on 1st Oct 1997. Concurrently with the appointment, he took over as Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee of India with effect from 1st Jan 1999. He coordinated and oversaw the planning and execution of Operation Vijay to successfully defeat Pakistan ’s attempted intrusion in Kargil sector during May to Jul 1999.

He was felicitated with the `Excellence in Leadership’ award by the Atur Foundation, Pune and also the `Distinguished Fellowship’ of the Institute of Directors , New Delhi in 1999. The Doon Citizens’ Council gave him the `Pride of the Nation’ award in Jul 2000. He was Colonel of the Sikh Light Infantry from 1990 to 1998, and continues to be Honorary Colonel of the Regiment for life.

General V P Malik retired on 30th Sep 2000, and has settled in Panchkula, near Chandigarh . Since retirement, he keeps himself engaged spreading awareness and sharing his views on India ’s national security challenges and international relations, in India and abroad. He was a member of the National Security Advisory Board for two years. Currently, he is an independent director on the board of some well-known private sector companies and advisor to foundations/trusts. He has authored ‘Kargil: From Surprise to Victory’, edited ‘Defence Planning: Problems and Prospects’, ‘Emerging NATO’ : ‘Europe and Asia ’, and written chapters and articles for several other security related books.