Kathmandu, April 19. After commanding the Indian Army for 28 months, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Manoj Mukund Naravane is retiring on April 30.

On Tuesday, the Indian Army named Lieutenant General Manoj Pande as the next Chief of Army Staff. 59-year-old Lt Gen Pande is the Vice Chief of Staff and the Indian Army’s second-highest official (after Naravane). 

Lt Gen Pande is scheduled to join his new office on May 1. With this, he will become the first official from the Corps of Engineers to hold command of the army.

Earlier on February 3, Lt Gen Pande took over as the vice chief. Prior to that, he was serving as the General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief of the Kolkata-based Eastern Command Headquarters.

Lt Gen Pande has a stellar military career spanning 39 years and is one of the Indian army’s greatest officials in the Indian Army. He joined the Army as an engineer in December 1982. He has always been praised for his exceptional performance as commander of the 117 Engineer Regiment during Operation Parakram. Operation Parakram was a large-scale mobilization of troops and weapons to the western frontier of Jammu and Kashmir along the Line of Control. It began as retaliation against Pakistan following the 2001 terror assault on the Indian Parliament.

Lt Gen Pande has been adorned with prestigious military awards, including the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, and Vishisht Seva Medal.