Lieutenant General Pradeep Chandran Nair took over as the 21st Director General of the Assam Rifles (popularly known as Sentinels of the North-East) on June 1, 2021. He has rich experience of Assam Rifles and the North East, having earlier been an Inspector General and a Company Commander in Assam Rifles, besides having commanded Assam Rifles battalions as a Brigade Commander.

The General Officer was commissioned into the Sikh Regiment in 1985. He is an alumnus of Sainik School Satara, National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College, College of Defence Management and the prestigious Indian Institute of Public Administration. He has very vast combat experience having commanded his battalion (18 Sikh) in Siachen Glacier and Assam. In addition, in the North East, he has been a Company Commander in Manipur and Sikkim, Battalion Commander in Assam, Brigade Commander in Manipur and in the recent past has also been an Inspector General of Assam Rifles in Nagaland. He has been an instructor in Infantry School, Mhow, Indian Military Training Team, Bhutan and a Directing Staff at the prominent Defence Services Staff College. He has served in the Army Headquarters as a Colonel, Major General and Lieutenant General. He has also served as Brigadier General Staff in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa Area and in the Defence Intelligence Agency.

In his last assignment at the Army Headquarters, he was the Director General Recruiting, responsible for recruiting officers and jawans in the Indian Army. He has been decorated with the AtiVishishtSeva Medal during his command as the Inspector General Assam Rifles (North) in Nagaland, YudhSeva Medal during his command of a Brigade in Manipur and the Chief of Army Staff Commendation Card on three occasions.