By Raju Vernekar
Mumbai, April 19:
Vice Chief of the Army Staff Lt Gen Manoj C Pande will take over as the Chief of the Indian Army Staff (COAS), replacing General Manoj Mukund Naravane, on April 30, official communication stated.
Gen Naravane had taken over as the COAS on December 31, 2019. The COAS reaches superannuation upon three years in the office or at the age of 62, whichever is earlier. Naravane served as COAS for 28 months. He also served as a temporary Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee since December 15, 2021, after the death of Gen Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash. Now Naravane completes 62 years of age.
Lt Gen Pande is the first engineer to become the COAS. He had taken over as the Vice Chief of the Army staff from Lt Gen C P Mohanty on February 01. He was part of Operation Parakram, the 2001–2002 India-Pakistan standoff, which led to the mobilization of troops in large numbers on both sides of the border and along the Line of Control in Kashmir.
Born on May 06, 1962, Lt Gen Pande was commissioned on December 24, 1982, in the Corps of Engineers (The Bombay Sappers) of the Indian Army. During his long career service spanning over 39 years, he served in a variety of Command, Staff, and Instructional appointments.
His Command appointments include Command of an Engineer Brigade in the Western Theatre, as part of Strike Corps, and an Infantry Brigade along with Line-of-Control in Jammu & Kashmir. Other Command appointments include a Mountain Division in the high-altitude area of the Western Ladakh and Command of a Corps, deployed along the LAC and in the Counter Insurgency Operations area of Eastern Command.
In the rank of Lt Gen, he has held important appointments including that of Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman & Nicobar Command and as the GOC-in-C of the Eastern Command at Kolkata before getting appointed as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff.
He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and has undergone courses at Staff College, Camberley (UK), Army War College, Mhow (Madhya Pradesh), and National Defence College, New Delhi. He was conferred with Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, and Vishisht Seva Medal for his illustrious service.
COD
In the meanwhile, the Central government is yet to announce the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) after the sudden demise of the country’s first CDS Gen Bipin Rawat. Outgoing COAS Gen Naravane is the senior-most among the three service chiefs. Besides, former Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria is also seen as a possible contender for the post of the country’s topmost military man. The Government is likely to consider both serving and retired officers for the post of CDS, which reports to the Prime Minister and Defence Minister.
