Watch: General M M Naravane Takes Charge As Indian Army Chief From Newly Appointed CDS General Bipin Rawat

General Manoj Mukund Navarane on Tuesday (31 December) took the charge as the 28th Chief of Army Staff (COAS). The new COAS took over the charge from outgoing Army Chief and newly appointed Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat.

The senior-most Army officer after General Rawat, Naravane was commissioned into the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment in June 1980.

He has served in numerous command and staff appointments in peace, field and highly active counter-insurgency environments in Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast in his 37 years of service.

A part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka, he has also commanded a Rashtriya Rifles Battalion in Jammu and Kashmir and was awarded the Sena Medal (Distinguished Service).

Naravane had also served as defence attache at the Indian Embassy in Myanmar for three years.

He had assumed charge as Vice Chief of the 1.3 million-strong army on 1 September. Prior to this, Naravane was heading the Army's Eastern Command.