| Vice Chief of the Army Staff | |
|---|---|
&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:Flag_of_Indian_Vice_Chief_of_Army_Staff.svg) | |
&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:Lt_Gen_NS_Raja_Subramani_VCOAS.jpg) | |
 Indian Army | |
| Status | Second in command |
| Abbreviation | VCOAS |
| Reports to | &sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:Flag_COAS.svg){kind=small} Chief of the Army Staff |
| Seat | Army HQ, New Delhi |
| Appointer | ACC |
| Constituting instrument | Army Act, 1950 (Act No. 46 of 1950) |
| Formation | 15 January 1965 |
| First holder | P. P. Kumaramangalam |
The Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS) is a statutory position in the Indian Armed Forces usually held by a three star lieutenant general. As the second highest-ranking officer to serve in the Indian Army, the VCOAS is the deputy professional head of the Indian Army and a senior adviser to the Minister of Defence. The office holder is usually the second most senior army officer unless the Chief of Defence is an army officer.
Eleven of the forty Vice Chiefs have gone on to head the Indian Army as the Chief of the Army Staff.
The current VCOAS is Lieutenant General N. S. Raja Subramani who assumed the office on 1st July 2024.