Manoj Pande is the first engineer to lead the Army.
General Manoj Pande took charge as the Chief of the Army Staff after General MM Naravane retired from service. He is the first engineer to lead the elite force. Before taking charge as vice chief of the Army on February 1, General Pande was heading the Eastern Army Command, tasked with guarding the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh sectors.
On Saturday, General Naravane called on Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
"Had a wonderful meeting with the Army Chief, General MM Naravane, who is going to retire today after serving the nation for 42 years. His contributions as a military leader has strengthened India’s defence capabilities & preparedness. I wish him success in his future endeavours," Singh tweeted.
General Pande's tenure starts at a time India is facing several security challenges, including the increasing Chinese assertiveness in Eastern Ladakh.
As the Army chief, among his duties, will be to coordinate with the Navy and the Indian Air Force.
In his distinguished career, General Pande also served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN), India's only tri-services command.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, he was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers (The Bombay Sappers) in December 1982.
General Pande has held several prestigious command and staff assignments in conventional as well as counter-insurgency operations in all types of terrain.
He commanded an engineer regiment along the Line of Control during the Operation Parakram in Jammu and Kashmir, an engineer brigade in the western sector, an infantry brigade along the LoC and a 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 and Brigadier General Staff (Operations) at the Eastern Command headquarters.
(With inputs from PTI)
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 "General Manoj Pande has succeeded General MM Naravane, who has retired.")
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