Brigadier R V Singh obtained his education from D A V College, Dehra Dun, a city that had a large number of Military training establishments, ie, IMA, RIMC and numerous Gorkha Training Centres to influence and motivate the younger generation to join the Armed Forces. Like most of his College compatriots of those days, he also joined Army and was commissioned in the First Battalion of the Fifth Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force) in September 1970. He served with his Battalion for seven continuous years before going on a Grade-3 appointment to a Brigade HQ. In those first seven formative years, he participated in Indo-Pak War of 1971 served in J&K, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram, as usual of any other Infantry Officer. Later he had two tenures in High Altitude Areas in North East. He did numerous Staff and Instructional appointments and attended Staff Course at DSSC, Wellington (T N) and Higher Command Course at College of Naval Warfare, Mumbai.