Lieutenant General Manoj Mukund Naravane to be next Indian Army Chief

With the current Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Bipin Rawat retiring on December 31, 2019, the Indian Army on Monday announced Lieutenant General Manoj Mukund Naravane as the new Chief of Staff helming the 1.3 million-strong force.

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About Lieutenant General Manoj Mukund Naravane

Lieutenant General Manoj Mukund Naravane is currently deployed as the 40th Vice Chief of Army Staff. He resumed office as the Vice Chief of Army Staff in September 2019. Before taking charge as vice chief of the Army Staff in September, Lt Gen Naravane was heading the Eastern Command of the Indian Army which takes care of the country's nearly 4,000-km border with China.

Lieutenant General Manoj is an alumnus of the popular National Defence Academy, Pune, and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He was first deployed into the 7th Sikh Light Infantry in June 1980 and holds vast military experience and has also served in Counter-Insurgency Operations in Kashmir and Northeast India. Lt Gen MM Naravane was also the commander of the 2017 Republic Day Parade which had Crown Prince of  United Arab Emirates Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the Chief Guest. He was also part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka and had served as India's defence attache at the Indian Embassy in Myanmar for three years.

Lieutenant General Manoj Mukund Naravane has also been awarded with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (2019), Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (2017) and Sena Medal and Vishist Seva Medal (2015).

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General Bipin Rawat to retire on December 31

General Bipin Rawat resumed the office as Chief Of Army staff on December 31, 2016. According to the PTI sources, he is also expected to be appointed as the country's first Chief of Defence Staff. 

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(With agency inputs)