Indian Army Chief General Manoj C Pande gets Extension of 1 Month in Service

New Delhi: India's Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Manoj C. Pande, who was due to retire at the end of the month, has been given a one-month extension of service, the Defence Ministry announced on Sunday.

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet on Sunday approved the extension for Gen Pande for a period of one month, beyond his normal age of superannuation (May 31, 2024), that is up to June 30, 2024, under Rule 16 A (4) of the Army Rules, 1954, the Ministry said.

Commissioned in the Corps of Engineers (The Bombay Sappers) in December 1982, Gen Pande was appointed the army chief on April 30, 2022. He was serving as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff when he was elevated to the top post.

Gen Pande had served as the Vice Chief before being appointed as Army Chief. He became the first officer from the Corps of Engineers to help the force.

Born on May 6, 1962, Gen Pande was commissioned on December 24, 1982, in the Corps of Engineers (The Bombay Sappers) of the Indian Army.

During his long and distinguished service spanning over 39 years, he has served in a variety of Command, Staff and Instructional appointments.

The Command appointments of Gen Pande include Command of an Engineer Brigade in the Western Theatre, as part of Strike Corps and an Infantry Brigade along with Line-of-Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

Other important Command appointments include a Mountain Division in the high-altitude area of the Western Ladakh and Command of a Corps, deployed along the LAC and in the Counter Insurgency Operations area of Eastern Command.

In the rank of Lt General, the officer has held important appointments including that of Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman & Nicobar Command and as the GOC-in-C of the Eastern Command at Kolkata before getting appointed as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff.

He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and has undergone courses at Staff College, Camberley (UK), Army War College, Mhow and National Defence College, New Delhi.

For his illustrious service, Gen Pande has been conferred with Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.

 Also Read: ‘Self-reliance, a key lesson from Russia-Ukraine conflict’: Chief of Army Staff, Manoj Pande (sentinelassam.com)

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