Lt Gen Manoj Pande: All You Should Know About India’s New Army Chief

Manoj Chandrashekhar Pande has been appointed as the new Indian Army Chief, succeeding MM Naravane. Naravane's term will come to an end on April 30, 2022.

Pande is the Army's current vice-chief. On May 1, he will become the 29th Army Chief and the first engineer to hold the position of Chief of Army Staff (COAS). After the retirement of General Naravane, he will be the most senior officer.

General MM Naravane #COAS & All Ranks of #IndianArmy congratulate Lieutenant General Manoj Pande #VCOAS on being appointed as the 29th Chief of the Army Staff #COAS of the #IndianArmy. Lt Gen Manoj Pande will assume the appointment of #COAS on 01 May 2022.#InStrideWithTheFuture pic.twitter.com/fiUpc29U2A

— ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) April 18, 2022

About Lieutenant General Manoj Pande

In December 1982, Lt Gen Pande was commissioned in the Bombay Sappers after graduating from the National Defence Academy (NDA) Khadakwasla and the Indian Military Academy (IMA) Dehradun.

He has handled various renowned command and staff postings in conventional and counter-insurgency operations in all types of terrain during the course of his distinguished 39-year career.

During Operation Parakram in the Pallanwala sector along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, Lt General Manoj Pande commanded an engineer regiment. After the terror attack on Parliament in December 2001, which brought India and Pakistan extremely close to warfare, India launched Operation Parakram, a massive mobilisation of troops and armaments to the western frontier.

In Ethiopia and Eritrea, he served as the UN's chief engineer.

Manoj Pande was a serving Indian Army General Officer. Since February 1, 2022, he has been the Vice Chief of the Army Staff.

After a few top officers retired in the last three months, Pande became the most senior officer. Lt Gen Raj Shukla, who was commander of the Army's training command (ARTRAC), retired on March 31.

Earlier, he was the General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command, which he took over on June 1, 2021. From June 2020 to May 2021, he was the Commander-in-Chief (CINCAN) of the Andaman and Nicobar Command.

For his distinguished service to the country, he has received the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal, Chief of Army Staff Commendation, and GOC-in-C Commendation twice.