Xinhua News Agency, New Delhi, April 30 (Reporter Hu Xiaoming) The Deputy Chief of Staff of the Indian Army, Manoj Pande, succeeded Naravane as the Chief of Army Staff on April 30, becoming the 29th Indian Army Chief of Staff.
Pande was born in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India in May 1962. He graduated from the Indian National Defense Academy and served as the commander of the Eastern Command of India.
He has been the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Indian Army since February 1 this year.
On April 18, the Indian Ministry of Defense announced the appointment of Pande as the next Army Chief of Staff, succeeding Naravane, who completed his term on April 30.
The Chief of Army Staff is the highest ranking officer in the Indian Army after the Chief of Defence Staff.
India's first chief of defense staff, Bipin Rawat, was killed in a helicopter crash in December 2021, but the Indian government has been slow to appoint a new successor.