Lt Gen Manoj Pande to be next Army chief

Lt Gen Manoj Pande will take charge as the 29th chief of the Army Staff after incumbent Gen M.M. Naravane retires on April 30.

Lt Gen Pande, currently serving as the vice chief, will become the first officer from the Corps of Engineers to take charge of the 1.3-million-strong force as the position has been held so far by officers from infantry, artillery and armoured regiments.

The government followed the principle of seniority in appointing Pande to the top post as he is the senior-most officer in the Army after Gen Naravane.

Four decades of illustrious service

• Before taking charge as vice chief of Army Staff on February 1, Lt Gen Pande was heading the Eastern Army Command that takes care of guarding the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh sectors.

• An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, he was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers (The Bombay Sappers) in December 1982.

• Lt Gen Pande has held several prestigious command and staff assignments in conventional as well as counter-insurgency operations in all types of terrain.

• He commanded an engineer regiment along the Line of Control during operation Parakram in Jammu & Kashmir, an engineer brigade in the western sector, an infantry brigade along the LoC and a mountain division in the high-altitude area of western Ladakh and a Corps in the North East.

• His staff exposures include Brigade Major of a Mountain Brigade in the North East, Assistant Military Secretary (AMS) in the Military Secretary’s Branch and Brigadier General Staff (Operations) at headquarters of the Eastern Command. 

• In his distinguished career, Lt Gen Pande also served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN) which is India’s only tri-services command. 

• The General Officer has served as chief engineer in the United Nations mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

• He has also served as the additional director general in the military operations directorate at the Army headquarters and as chief of staff, at the headquarters of the Southern Command.

• For his illustrious service, he has been conferred with the award Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.

Corps of Engineers

• The Corps of Engineers is one of the oldest arms of the Indian Army. The origin of the Corps dates back to 1780 when the two regular pioneer companies of the Madras Sappers were raised. Subsequently, the Group of Madras, Bengal and Bombay Sappers were formed and later merged on  November 18, 1932 to form the Corps of Engineers in its present form.

• The Corps of Engineers consists of four major constituents namely Combat Engineers, Military Engineer Service, Border Roads Organisation and Military Survey.

• In war, Combat Engineers provide mobility to own forces by constructing bridges, tracks and helipads. The Corps denies the same to the enemy by creating obstacles such as laying mine-fields and demolition of bridges.

• Engineer units have been deployed abroad as part of UN Missions. They have brought laurels to our country by constructing bridges, opening lines of communication and executing numerous humanitarian tasks.

• The Military Engineering Service, which is an important part of the Corps, has played a crucial role in nation building. It provides MES cover not only to the three services — Army, Navy and Air Force — but also to Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), KV Sangathan and ordnance factories. A number of prestigious and time bound projects have been completed over the years.

• The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has made its own contribution to the nation by constructing national highways, airfields, buildings and bridges. 

• True to the motto SARVATRA, the Corps of Engineers has excelled in multifarious activities in war and peace. In peace time the Sappers have always been in the forefront in rendering aid to the civil authorities during natural calamities such as floods and earthquakes. Engineer units have also been engaged in counter insurgency operations in J&K and the northeast.

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