Lt Gen Manoj Pande will take over as the next chief of Army staff on April 30, becoming the first officer from the Corps of Engineer to occupy the coveted post. He will succeed present Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane.

Though the government on Tuesday announced the next Army chief, it still has to decide about the new chief of defence staff (CDS) of the armed forces after the tragic death of General Bipin Rawat last December. 

Vice Army chief Pande — who has served in various challenging command, staff and instructional appointments — had commanded 117 Engineer Regiment during Operation Parakram which was a build up of the force along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir following a stand-off between India and Pakistan in 2001.  

Besides that, previous appointments of vice chief include stints such as Command of Engineer Brigade in Western theatre, as part of the strike corps and as an infantry brigade along the LoC. He also commanded a Mountain Division in the High Altitude Area of Western Ladakh and Corps deployed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and in the Eastern Command’s Counter Insurgency Operations.

His staff experience include Brigade Major of a Mountain Brigade in the North-East, Assistant Military Secretary (AMS) in the Military Secretary’s Branch, Colonel Q of a Mountain Division in the High Altitude Area and Brigadier General Staff (Operations) at Headquarters Eastern Command. 

In 39 years of distinguished service, Lt Gen Pande has also served as Chief Engineer in the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea. He had served as Additional Director General in the Military Operations Directorate at Army Headquarters, Chief of Staff Headquarters Southern Command and Director General Discipline Ceremonial & Welfare at the Army Headquarters.

He was Commander-in-Chief Andaman & Nicobar Command (CINCAN) and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command before being appointed as vice chief of Army staff on February 1, 2022. 

An alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA), the general officer was commissioned in December 1982 in the Corps of Engineers (The Bombay Sappers). He is a graduate of Staff College, Camberley (United Kingdom) and attended the Higher Command (HC) and National Defence College (NDC) Courses.

Lt Gen Pande was conferred with the award of Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal, the Chief of Army Staff Commendation and twice with GOC-in-C Commendation. 

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