Lieutenant General Manoj Pande Takes Over As Vice Chief Of Army Staff

Lieutenant General Manoj Pande took over as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff on Tuesday (1 February) after Lt Gen C P Mohanty retired from the post on Monday.

An alumnus of National Defence Academy, Lt Gen Manoj Pande was commissioned in December 1982 to the Corps of Engineers (The Bombay Sappers).

He commanded an engineer regiment during Operation Parakram in the sensitive Pallanwala Sector along the Line of Control of Jammu and Kashmir.

In his 39 years of distinguished military career, he has tenanted important and challenging command and staff appointments in different operational environments which include command of an Engineer Brigade of Strike Corps in the Western Theatre, Infantry Brigade along Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, Mountain Division in the High Altitude Area of Western Ladakh, a Corps in the North East, Commander-in-Chief Andaman & Nicobar Command (CINCAN) and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Command, the ministry said.

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

He also served as Chief Engineer in the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea. He tenanted the appointments of Additional Director General (ADGMO-B) in the Military Operations Directorate at Army Headquarters, Chief of Staff at Headquarters Southern Command and Director General Discipline Ceremonial and Welfare at the Army Headquarters.