Manoj Chandrashekhar Pande has been chosen to succeed MM Narvane as the next Indian Army Chief. Narvane is scheduled to complete his term on 30 April.
Pande is the current vice-chief of the Army. He will be the 29th Army chief and the first engineer to become the chief of army staff (COAS) and will take charge on 1 May.
He is the senior-most officer when General Naravane retires.
Lieutenant General Manoj Pande, a history
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA) Khadakwasla and the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, Lt Gen Pande was commissioned in the Bombay Sappers in December 1982.
In his 39 year distinguished career, he has held several prestigious command and staff assignments in conventional as well as counter-insurgency operations in all types of terrain.
Lt General Manoj Pande commanded an engineer regiment during Operation Parakram in the Pallanwala sector along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. Operation Parakram, the large-scale mobilisation of troops and weapons to the western border, followed the December 2001 terror attack on Parliament that brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.
He has served as chief engineer in the UN mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Manoj Pande was a serving General Officer in the Indian Army. He was serving as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff since 1 February 2022.
Pande became the senior-most after a few top officers retired over the past three months. The incumbent Lt Gen Raj Shukla who was commanding Army’s training command (ARTRAC) retired on 31 March.
Previously, he served as the General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command, having taken over on 1 June 2021. He previously commanded the Andaman and Nicobar Command as the Commander-in-Chief (CINCAN) from June 2020 to May 2021.
Accolades and awards
He has been conferred with the award of Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal, Chief of Army Staff Commendation and twice with GOC-in-C Commendation for his illustrious service to the nation.
