General Manoj Pande,[2] PVSM AVSM VSM ADC (born 6 May 1962) is a serving four star officer in the Indian Army, who is the 29th and the current Chief of the Army Staff.[3][4] He previously served as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff,[5] prior to that he was General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Command[6] and also as the Commander-in-Chief (CINCAN) of Andaman and Nicobar Command.[7] He is the first officer from the Corps of Engineers to become the Army Chief.[8]
Manoj Pande | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2022 | |
| 29th Chief of the Army Staff | |
| In office 30 April 2022 – 30 June 2024 | |
| President | |
| Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
| Preceded by | Manoj Mukund Naravane |
| Succeeded by | Upendra Dwivedi |
| 43rd Vice Chief of the Army Staff | |
| In office 1 February 2022 – 30 April 2022 | |
| Chief of Army Staff | Manoj Mukund Naravane |
| Preceded by | Chandi Prasad Mohanty |
| Succeeded by | B. S. Raju |
| General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command | |
| In office 1 June 2021 – 31 January 2022 | |
| Chief of Army Staff | Manoj Mukund Naravane |
| Preceded by | Anil Chauhan |
| Succeeded by | Rana Pratap Kalita |
| Commander-in-Chief Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN) | |
| In office 1 June 2020 – 31 May 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Podali Shankar Rajeshwar |
| Succeeded by | Ajai Singh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 May 1962[1] Nagpur, Maharashtra, India |
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Spouse | Archana Pande |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  India |
| Branch/service |  Indian Army |
| Years of service | December 1982 – 30 June 2024 |
| Rank |  General |
| Unit | Bombay Sappers Corps of Engineers 267 Engineer Regiment |
| Commands |  Eastern CommandAndaman and Nicobar Command  IV Corps8 Mountain Division 52 Infantry Brigade 117 Engineer Regiment |
| Service number | IC-40716F[2] |
| Awards | |
As the COAS, he took over as the Honorary Colonel of the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment on 11 May 2022 and as the Colonel of the Regiment of the 61st Cavalry on 17 May 2022. He became the 23rd COAS to take over Colonel of the mounted Cavalry Regiment.
Early life and education
editGen Pande was born to Dr. C. G. Pande, a consulting Psychotherapist who retired as the Head of the Department of Psychology of Nagpur University, and Prema, an announcer and host with the All India Radio. The family hails from Nagpur.[9] After his schooling from Kendriya Vidyalaya, he joined the 61st-course of the National Defence Academy (NDA) in January 1979 and was assigned to the Lima squadron, where he graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science. After graduating from the NDA, he joined the Indian Military Academy and was commissioned as an officer. He subsequently attended the College of Military Engineering, Pune and earned a Bachelor of Technology degree in Civil Engineering.[10]
Career
editGen Pande was commissioned into the (267 Engineer Regiment) Bombay Sappers, one of the regiments in the Corps of Engineers, in December 1982. He attended the Staff College, Camberley in the United Kingdom. After completing the course, he returned to India and was appointed brigade major of a mountain brigade in Northeast India.[11] After promotion to the rank of lieutenant colonel, he served as the Chief Engineer at the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea.[10]
He has commanded the 117 Engineer Regiment along the Line of Control (LOC) in Jammu and Kashmir. He was in command of the regiment during Operation Parakram.[12] He then attended the Army War College, Mhow and completed the Higher Command Course. After the course, he was appointed Colonel Q at HQ 8 Mountain Division.[12] The division was then commanded by the Major General Dalbir Singh Suhag.[13] He was then promoted to the rank of brigadier and given command of an Engineer brigade as part of a Strike Corps in the western theatre.[12] He also commanded the 52 Infantry Brigade, positioned along the LOC. Pande was selected to attend the prestigious National Defence College.[10] After completing the course, he was appointed Brigadier General Staff Operations (BGS-Ops) at HQ Eastern Command.
Personal life
editGen Pande married Archana Salpekar, a gold medalist from Government Dental College and Hospital, Nagpur on 3 May 1987. The couple have a son who is an officer in the Indian Air Force.[13]
Honours and decorations
editHe is a recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal,[14] Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, and the Vishisht Seva Medal.[15][16] Apart from these, he has been awarded the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Commendation Card and two GOC-in-C commendation cards.[11]
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Dates of rank
edit| Insignia | Rank | Component | Date of rank |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Second Lieutenant | Indian Army | 24 December 1982[2] |
 | Lieutenant | Indian Army | 24 December 1984[17] |
 | Captain | Indian Army | 24 December 1987[18] |
 | Major | Indian Army | 24 December 1993[19] |
 | Lieutenant-Colonel | Indian Army | 16 December 2004[20] |
 | Colonel | Indian Army | 1 March 2006[21] |
 | Brigadier | Indian Army | 1 April 2010 (substantive, seniority from 25 January 2009)[22] |
 | Major General | Indian Army | 1 July 2015 (substantive, seniority from 12 June 2012)[23] |
 | Lieutenant-General | Indian Army | 1 September 2017[24] |
| | General (COAS) | Indian Army | 1 May 2022[25][1] |
References
edit- ^ a b "Government appoints Lt Gen Manoj C Pande as next Chief of Army Staff". Press Information Bureau. 18 April 2022.
- ^ a b c "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 3 November 1984. p. 1810.
- ^ Bureau, The Hindu (30 April 2022). "Gen. Manoj Pande takes charge as 29th Army Chief". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ^ "Government appoints Lt Gen Manoj C Pande as next Chief of Army Staff". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ PTI (1 February 2022). "Lt Gen Manoj Pande assumes charge as Vice Chief of Army Staff". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ "Lt Gen Manoj Pande to take charge as Eastern Command chief on June 1". India Today. 30 May 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ "Lt Gen Manoj Pande has been appointed as the next chief of Andaman and Nicobar Command at Port Blair". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ "Army Chief: Lt Gen Manoj Pande becomes first engineer to be appointed as Army chief - The Economic Times". The Economic Times. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ Today, Nagpur (2 September 2017). "Nagpurian appointed as Chief of Staff at Southern Command Headquarters". www.nagpurtoday.in.
- ^ a b c "Lieutenant General Manoj Pande takes over as Commander-In-Chief of Andaman & Nicobar Command Tomorrow;". pib.gov.in.
- ^ a b "Lt Gen Manoj Pande takes over as new chief of Southern Command Pune". United News of India. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- ^ a b c "Integrated Defence Staff". www.ids.nic.in.
- ^ a b "The Sunday Profile: General Manoj Pande, the right man at the right place". The Indian Express. 8 May 2022.
- ^ "HONOURS AND AWARDS : REPUBLIC DAY 2022" (PDF). PIB.
- ^ "h17". www.sainiksamachar.nic.in.
- ^ "The Official Home Page of the Indian Army". www.indianarmy.nic.in.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 31 May 1986. p. 887.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 26 November 1988. p. 1723.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 14 May 1994. p. 940.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 15 October 2005. p. 1895.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 21 April 2007. p. 636.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 16 February 2013. p. 274.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 21 May 2016. p. 1310.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 9 February 2019. p. 393.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 4 February 2023. p. 273.