Cherish Mathson


Cherish Mathson, PVSM, SM, VSM is a retired officer of the Indian Army who served as General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief, South Western Command. He assumed office on 1 August 2017 taking over from Lt General Abhay Krishna, and was succeeded by Lt General Alok Singh Kler on 1 September 2019.

Early life and education

Mathson is an alumnus of Sainik School, Trivandrum and the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington. He has also attended Senior Command Course at Army War College, Mhow, the Long Defence Management Course at the College of Defence Management, Secunderabad and the National Defence College, New Delhi.

Career

Mathson was commissioned into Garhwal Rifles in June 1980. He has vast experience in rural and urban insurgencies and has served two tenures in Siachen Glacier, in Operation Blue Star, in Mizoram against the Mizo National Front and as a UN observer in Somalia.
He has commanded a battalion on the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir during Operation Parakram, the Trivandrum Brigade in an amphibious Role, the 54th Infantry Division in the Southern Command, Inspector General of the Special Frontier Force and the XXI Corps in Bhopal.
He has also held staff positions including Deputy Assistant Quarter Master General Operations of an Independent Infantry Brigade, Colonel Administration of a Mountain Division, Brigadier Administration of the XII Corps, Deputy Technical Manager in Army HQ, Senior Defence Specialist in the National Security Council Secretariat and in the Defence Acquisition Wing. He was also the Colonel of the Regiment of Garhwal Rifles.
During his career, he has been awarded the Sena Medal, the Vishist Seva Medal in 2010 and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2018.

Honours and decorations


Dates of rank