He is a third-generation soldier; his paternal grandfather Sepoy (Private) Atma Singh Marwah (1896–1968) enlisted in the 1/67 Punjab Regiment of the British Indian Army as a drummer in 1914, and fought at the Siege of Kut in the Mesopotamian Campaign during the First World War.
Growing up, Joginder and his family lived in different army cantonments across north India, as his father was frequently transferred.
Largely unprepared for war and humiliated by its defeats, the Indian armed forces underwent a large-scale expansion after hostilities ended, with emergency commissions given to several thousand candidates from 1963 to 1965.
During his tenure with the 7th and 9th Maratha LI and also while on higher command and staff appointments, General Singh has served in Jammu & Kashmir, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Jyotirmath in Uttarakhand.
He has contributed articles to regimental and other professional journals and his thesis on "Sino-Indian Border Dispute" and "Strategy to Boost Defence Exports" have been highly acclaimed.
After returning from Algeria, General Singh commanded the 79th (Independent) Mountain Brigade in the Baramula Sector, Jammu & Kashmir, during the peak of insurgency there in 1991–92.
During this tenure, he was gravely wounded in action leading from the front, in a fierce engagement with terrorists infiltrating across the Line of Control (LoC).
During his tenure as ADGMO, he contributed positively to evolving India's policy on the Sino-Indian border issue and visited Beijing as part of the Joint Working Group.
He also visited Sierra Leone with the defence minister, where an Indian contingent carried out successful operations as part of the UN Mission.
He refined operational planning by co-opting the battle-winning role of Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) and provided focused direction based on the recently released "Doctrine for the Indian Army", having earlier been its architect.
[10] On assuming the office of Chief of Army Staff on 1 February 2005, General Singh stated in a message, We stand poised at a critical juncture in the timeline of history.
I assure our countrymen that the Army will remain at the service of the nation, at all times, ready and eager to take on any challenge with determination and resolve to emerge victorious.
Affectionately known as "General JJ" within army circles, he was appointed Colonel of the Maratha Light Infantry on 10 October 2001.
He joined the Shiromani Akali Dal in the presence of party president and Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab Sukhbir Singh Badal.
He unsuccessfully contested against Captain Amarinder Singh from Patiala Urban seat in 2017 Punjab Legislative Assembly election[11][12][13][14] as the Shiromani Akali Dal candidate.
[15] In 2019 he joined Shiromani Akali Dal (Taksali) and contested and lost from Khadoor Sahib (Lok Sabha constituency).
[20] The McMahon Line – A Century of Discord written by Singh, provides a detailed description of the border dispute between India and China.