The central government has appointed Lieutenant General Manoj Pande as the next chief of the Indian Army and he will take over on 1 May, 2022. At present, Lt Gen Pande is serving as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff. He will be the first officer from the Corps of Engineers to become the Chief of Army Staff.
Pande will succeed General Manoj Mukund Naravane who is scheduled to complete his 28 month-tenure on April 30.
"Government has decided to appoint Lt Gen Manoj Pande as the next chief of army staff," the Defence Ministry announced on Monday.
Lt General Manoj Pande is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy. He was commissioned into the Corps of Engineers in December of 1982.
He commanded an engineer regiment during Operation Parakram in the Pallanwala Sector along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.
Operation Parakram was the large-scale mobilisation of troops and weapons to the western border. It followed the December 2001 terror attack on Parliament that brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.
In his military career spanning 39 years, Lt General Pande has commanded an engineer brigade in the western theatre, infantry brigade along LoC, a mountain division in the Ladakh sector and a corps in the North-east.
Lt General Manoj Pande was also the commander-in-chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command before he took charge of the Eastern Command.
(With inputs from Manjeet Negi)