| Shailesh Tinaikar | |
| Honorific Suffix: | SM, VSM |
| Birth Date: | 1962 |
| Allegiance: |  India |
| Unit: | 10 Para(SF) |
| Awards: | Sena Medal Vishisht Seva Medal |
Lieutenant General Shailesh Tinaikar, SM, VSM (born 1962[1]), is a retired Indian Army officer who served as the Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), the second biggest peacekeeping operation.[2] He served from 24 May 2019 to January 2022.[3] He was appointed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres[1] to succeed Lieutenant General Frank Mushyo Kamanzi of Rwanda. Prior to that, he served as the Commandant of the Indian Army Infantry School.[4] He is the recipient of the Sena Medal and the Vishisht Seva Medal for distinguished service.[1]
Tinaikar graduated from the National Defence Academy and Indian Military Academy in 1983.[2] He received an MPhil in defence and strategic studies from The University of Madras.[1]
Tinaikar was commissioned into the elite 10 PARA (SF). He appointed the Commandant of the Infantry School in July 2018. he held the position of Additional Director General of Military Operations at the Army Headquarters from 2017 to 2018. He commanded a division, a recruit training centre and a brigade from 2012 to 2017.
Tinaikar served in the United Nations Angola Verification Mission III from 1996 to 1997 and, from 2008 to 2009, he served in the United Nations Mission in Sudan.[5]
On 24 May 2019,[1] Tinaikar was appointed as the Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.[2]
| Sena Medal[6] [7] | Vishisht Seva Medal | |||
| Special Service Medal[8] | Operation Vijay Star | Operation Vijay Medal | Operation Parakram Medal | |
| Sainya Seva Medal | Videsh Seva Medal | 50th Anniversary of Independence Medal | 30 Years Long Service Medal | |
| 20 Years Long Service Medal | 9 Years Long Service Medal | UN Mission in Angola Medal | UN Mission in Sudan Medal |