New Delhi: Lt Gen. Manoj Pande has been appointed the new Army chief, making him the first officer from the Corps of Engineers to take over the top post in the 1.3-million-strong force. The position has so far been occupied by Infantry, Armoured and Artillery officers.
Government officials said the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has cleared the name of Lt Gen. Pande as the 29th Chief of Army Staff (COAS).
Lt Gen. Pande, who is currently the vice-chief, will take over from General M.M. Naravane on 30 April upon the latter’s superannuation.
Prior to being the vice-chief, Lt Gen. Pande headed the crucial Eastern Command and is one of the prime proponents of greater integration of technology along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
He has also served as Commander-in-Chief Andaman & Nicobar Command (CINCAN), India’s only tri-service command.
Government sources had told ThePrint earlier that Pande brings both operational and logistics experience to the Army chief’s chair.
Several important command & staff appointments
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA), Lt Gen. Pande was commissioned in December 1982 to the Corps of Engineers (The Bombay Sappers).
He commanded an Engineer Regiment during Operation Parakram in the sensitive Pallanwala Sector along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu & Kashmir.
A graduate of Staff College, Camberley (United Kingdom), he attended the Higher Command (HC) and National Defence College (NDC) courses.
In his 39-year military career, he has tenanted important command and staff appointments in different operational environments, including an Infantry Brigade along the LoC, Mountain Division in the high-altitude area of western Ladakh, and a Corps in the northeast.
His staff exposures include Brigade Major of a Mountain Brigade in the northeast, Assistant Military Secretary (AMS) in the Military Secretary’s Branch, Colonel Q of a Mountain Division in high-altitude area, and Brigade General Staff (Operations) at Headquarters Eastern Command.
Lt Gen. Pande has also served as chief engineer in the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea.
He tenanted the appointments of Additional Director General in the Military Operations (ADGMO-B) Directorate at the Army headquarters, Chief of Staff at Headquarters Southern Command, and Director General Discipline Ceremonial & Welfare at the Army Headquarters.
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)
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