Manoj Pande | |
---|---|
28th Chief of the Army Staff | |
Assumed office 30 April 2022 | |
President | |
Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
Preceded by | Manoj Mukund Naravane |
43rd Vice Chief of the Army Staff | |
In office 1 February 2022 –30 April 2022 | |
Chief of Army Staff | Manoj Mukund Naravane |
Preceded by | Chandi Prasad Mohanty |
Succeeded by | B. S. Raju |
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command | |
In office 1 June 2021 –31 January 2022 | |
Preceded by | Anil Chauhan |
Succeeded by | Rana Pratap Kalita |
Personal details | |
Born | [1] Nagpur,Maharashtra,India | 6 May 1962
Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) |
Awards | Param Vishisht Seva Medal Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Vishisht Seva Medal |
Military service | |
Allegiance | India |
Branch/service | Indian Army |
Years of service | December 1982 –May 2024 |
Rank | General |
Unit | Bombay Sappers Corps of Engineers |
Commands | Eastern Command Andaman and Nicobar Command IV Corps 8 Mountain Division 52 Infantry Brigade 117 Engineer Regiment |
Service number | IC-40716F [2] |
General Manoj Pande , [2] PVSM AVSM VSM ADC (born 6 May 1962) is a serving four star officer in the Indian Army,who is the 28th and the current Chief of the Army Staff. [3] [4] He previously served as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff,General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Command and also as the Commander-in-Chief (CINCAN) of Andman and Nicobar Command. [5] He is the first officer from the Corps of Engineers and also first from non infantry/armoured corps to become the Army Chief. [1] [6]
As the COAS,he took over as the Honorary Colonel of the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment on 11 May 2022 and as the Colonel of the Regiment of the 61st Cavalry on 17 May 2022. He became the 23rd COAS to take over Colonelcy of the mounted Cavalry Regiment.
Pande was born to Dr. C. G. Pande,a consulting Psychotherapist who retired as the Head of the Department of Psychology of Nagpur University,and Prema,an announcer and host with the All India Radio. The family hails from Nagpur. [7] After his schooling from Kendriya Vidyalaya,he joined the 61st-course of the National Defence Academy (NDA) in January 1979 and was assigned to the Lima squadron,where he graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science. After graduating from the NDA,he joined the Indian Military Academy and was commissioned as an officer. He subsequently attended the College of Military Engineering,Pune and earned a Bachelor of Technology degree in Civil Engineering. [8]
Pande was commissioned into the Bombay Sappers,one of the regiments in the Corps of Engineers,in December 1982. He attended the Staff College,Camberley in the United Kingdom. After completing the course,he returned to India and was appointed brigade major of a mountain brigade in Northeast India. [9] After promotion to the rank of lieutenant colonel,he served as the Chief Engineer at the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea. [8]
Pande has commanded the 117 Engineer Regiment along the Line of Control (LOC) in Jammu and Kashmir. He was in command of the regiment during Operation Parakram. [10] He then attended the Army War College,Mhow and completed the Higher Command Course. After the course,he was appointed Colonel Q at HQ 8 Mountain Division. [10] The division was then commanded by the Major General Dalbir Singh Suhag. [11] He was then promoted to the rank of brigadier and given command of an Engineer brigade as part of a Strike Corps in the western theatre. [10] He also commanded the 52 Infantry Brigade,positioned along the LOC. Pande was selected to attend the prestigious National Defence College. [8] After completing the course,he was appointed Brigadier General Staff Operations (BGS-Ops) at HQ Eastern Command.
After promotion to the rank of major general,Pande took command of 8 Mountain Division which was involved in high-altitude operations in western Ladakh. [9] He then served a tenure in the Military Operations directorate at Army Headquarters as the Additional Director General (ADG). [9] Promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General,he served as the Chief of Staff of the Southern Command. [7] On 30 December 2018,Pande took command of the IV Corps at Tezpur from Lieutenant General Gurpal Singh Sangha. [12] [13] The corps is deployed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as well as in Counter-insurgency operations in the North-East. [8] After about a year-and-a-half leading IV Corps,he transitioned to Army HQ and assumed the role of Director General handling matters related to Discipline,Ceremonial,and Welfare. [8]
On 30 April 2020,Pande was appointed the next Commander-in-Chief,Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN). He assumed command on 1 June 2020 after the incumbent Lt Gen P S Rajeshwar superannuated on 31 May 2020. [14] A year later,he was appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command. He handed over charge of CINCAN to Lieutenant General Ajai Singh on 31 May and took command of the Eastern Command on 1 June. [15] He was appointed as the next Vice Chief of the Army Staff succeeding Lieutenant General Chandi Prasad Mohanty on his superannuation on 31 January 2022. [5]
On 18 April 2022,the Government of India appointed Pande as the next Chief of the Army Staff,succeeding General Manoj Mukund Naravane. [16] On 11 May 2022,he took over as the Honorary Colonel of the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment. He was presented with the Baton ®imental accoutrements by Lieutenant General Devendra Pratap Pandey,the Colonel of the regiment. [17]
Pande married Archanaa Salpekar,a gold medalist from Government Dental College and Hospital,Nagpur on 3 May 1987. The couple have a son who is an officer in the Indian Air Force. [11]
He is a recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, [18] Ati Vishisht Seva Medal,and the Vishisht Seva Medal. [19] [20] Apart from these,he has been awarded the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Commendation Card and two GOC-in-C commendation cards. [9]
Insignia | Rank | Component | Date of rank |
---|---|---|---|
Second Lieutenant | Indian Army | 24 December 1982 [2] | |
Lieutenant | Indian Army | 24 December 1984 [21] | |
Captain | Indian Army | 24 December 1987 [22] | |
Major | Indian Army | 24 December 1993 [23] | |
Lieutenant-Colonel | Indian Army | 16 December 2004 [24] | |
Colonel | Indian Army | 1 March 2006 [25] | |
Brigadier | Indian Army | 1 April 2010 (substantive,seniority from 25 January 2009) [26] | |
Major General | Indian Army | 1 July 2015 (substantive,seniority from 12 June 2012) [27] | |
Lieutenant-General | Indian Army | 1 September 2017 [28] | |
General (COAS) | Indian Army | 1 May 2022 [29] [1] | |
Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora,was an Indian Army General Officer who was the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) Eastern Command during the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He organised and led the ground forces campaign in the Eastern Front of the war,which led to an overwhelming defeat of the combined Pakistan Armed Forces in East-Pakistan that led to the creation of Bangladesh.
General Dalbir Singh Suhag,PVSM,UYSM,AVSM,VSM,ADC is the former Indian High Commissioner to Seychelles and a former Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army. He was the 25th Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) of the Indian Army,serving from 31 July 2014 to 31 December 2016,and Vice Chief of the Army Staff prior to that.
Lieutenant General Praveen Bakshi PVSM,AVSM,VSM,ADC was the 25th General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command of the Indian Army and assumed office on 1 August 2015 after Lieutenant General Man Mohan Singh Rai. He retired on 31 July 2017 and was succeeded by Lieutenant General Abhay Krishna. Prior,he was chief of staff of the Northern Command based at Udhampur. He succeeded Lt Gen Man Mohan Singh Rai who is appointed as the Vice Chief of Army Staff at the Headquarter of Indian Army in New Delhi.
Lieutenant General Abhay Krishna,PVSM,UYSM,AVSM,SM,VSM,ADC is a retired officer of Indian Army. He served as General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C),Central Command from 1 October 2018 following the retirement of Lieutenant General Balwant Singh Negi,to 30 September 2019. He was succeeded by Lieutenant General Iqroop Singh Ghuman. Prior to that,he commanded the Eastern Command and South Western Command of the Indian Army
Lieutenant General Cherish Mathson,PVSM,SM,VSM is a retired officer of the Indian Army who served as General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C),South Western Command. He assumed office on 1 August 2017 taking over from Lt General Abhay Krishna,and was succeeded by Lt General Alok Singh Kler on 1 September 2019.
General Manoj Mukund Naravane,is a retired Indian Army General who served as the 27th Chief of the Army Staff (COAS),as well as the temporary Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee from 15 December 2021 until his superannuation on 30 April 2022. He took over as COAS from General Bipin Rawat on 31 December 2019 after the latter completed his term. Prior to his appointment as the COAS,the general served as the 40th Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS) of the Indian Army,General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of Eastern Command and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Army Training Command.
General Anil Chauhan is a four-star general of the Indian Army,who is the current and 2nd Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Indian Armed Forces,since 30 September 2022.
Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh,PVSM,AVSM &Bar,YSM,SM,ADC is a former General Officer in the Indian Army. He last served as the General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) Northern Command. He assumed office on 1 June 2018 from Lt Gen Devraj Anbu who assumed the office of Vice Chief of the Army Staff. He was the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of the Indian Army during the 2016 Indian Line of Control strike &during the 2015 Indian counter-insurgency operation in Myanmar he was Additional Director General of Military Operations (ADGMO). He was considered the face of the operations because he briefed the media after both the strikes.
Lieutenant General Satinder Kumar Saini,PVSM,AVSM,YSM,VSM,ADC was the 41st Vice Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army and assumed the office on 25 January 2020. He previously served as General Officer Commanding in Chief (GOC-in-C) Southern Command.
Lieutenant General Podali Shankar Rajeshwar PVSM,AVSM,VSM,ADC is a former General officer in the Indian Army. He last served as the 14th Commander-in-Chief,Andaman and Nicobar Command,from December 2019 to May 2020. He took office on 1 December 2019 when Vice Admiral Bimal Verma retired. He superannuated on 31 May 2020,handing over command to Lieutenant General Manoj Pande. Earlier,he had served as the 12th Chief of Integrated Defence Staff,from November 2018 to November 2019.
Lieutenant General Alok Singh Kler,PVSM,VSM,ADC is a retired General Officer in the Indian Army who last served as General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief of the South Western Command. He assumed office on 1 September 2019,taking over from Lt Gen Cherish Mathson.
Commander-in-Chief,Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN) is the head of the Andaman and Nicobar Command,the first and only Tri-service theater command of the Indian Armed Forces,based at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands,a Union Territory of India.
Lieutenant General Raj Shukla,PVSM,YSM,SM,ADC is a retired General Officer of the Indian Army who served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Army Training Command. He assumed office on 1 May 2020,succeeding Lt Gen P C Thimayya. He superannuated on 31 March 2022. Presently he is a member of UPSC.
Lieutenant General Naveen Chand Rawlley,PVSM,AVSM,MC was a General Officer in the Indian Army. He served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command before taking over as the 5th Vice Chief of the Army Staff.
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He is the present Colonel of the Madras Regiment.
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Lieutenant General Baggavalli Somashekar Raju,PVSM,UYSM,AVSM,YSM is a retired general officer of the Indian Army. He last served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief South Western Command. He earlier served as the 44th Vice Chief of the Army Staff and as the Director General Military Operations (DGMO).
Lieutenant General Rana Pratap Kalita,PVSM,UYSM,AVSM,SM,VSM is a former general officer in the Indian Army. He served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of the Indian Army's Eastern Command. He previously commanded the III Corps at Dimapur.
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