Manoj Pande Becomes First Officer From Corps of Engineers to Rise to Indian Army's Top Post

The Indian Army has accelerated the integration of technologies along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) since the Galwan skirmish, in which 20 Indian soldiers and four People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops were killed.

The Indian Army's vice chief, Lieutenant General Manoj Pande, has been appointed as the next chief of army staff, replacing Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane, who will retire on 30 April, the Army said in a statement.

Pande will be the first officer from the Corps of Engineers to lead the 1.3-million-strong Indian Army. So far, the post of chief of army staff has been occupied by infantry, armour, and artillery officers.

Commissioned into the Corps of Engineers in December 1982, Lt Gen Pande commanded the Kolkata-based Eastern Command, which looks after the border with China.

Before leading the command in Kolkata, he was the commander-in-chief of the Indian Ocean-based Andaman and Nicobar Command. The vice chief also led a mountain division in the Ladakh sector.

His appointment came at a time when the Indian Army massively transformed its offensive capabilities along the Line of Actual Control – a loosely demarcated line that divides India and China.

The Indian Army has planned to use swarm drones, suicide drones, and runway independent tactical drones to sharpen its capabilities compared with China.