Lieutenant General Manoj Pande, PVSM, AVSM, VSM is a serving General Officer in the Indian Army.
He is currently serving as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff since 1 February 2022. Previously, he served as the General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command, having taken over on 1 June 2021.
He previously commanded the Andaman and Nicobar Command as the Commander-in-Chief (CINCAN).
On 18 April 2022, he was named the next Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), to assume office from 30 April. Lt Gen Manoj Pande would be the 28th COAS and would be succeeding Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane. He will be the first officer from the Corps of Engineers to become the Army Chief.
Manoj Pande Biography & Wiki
| Manoj Pande Full Name | Manoj Chandrashekhar Pande |
| Profession | Army personnel |
| Famous For | Appointed as the new chief of the Indian Army. He will succeed Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane. |
| Physical Stat | |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Salt & pepper |
| Military Services | |
| Service/Branch | Indian Army |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Service Years (2022) | 40 Years |
| Unit | Bombay Sappers Corps Of Engineers |
| Service Number | IC-40716F |
| Personal Life | |
| Date Of Birth | 6 May 1962 (Sunday) |
| Manoj Pande Age (2022) | 60 Years |
| Birthplace | Nagpur, Maharashtra, India |
| Zodiac Sign/Sun Sign | Taurus |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Home town | Nagpur, Maharashtra, India |
| School | |
| College/University | National Defence Academy (NDA) Maharashtra Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun Staff College, Camberely (UK) Army War College, Mhow National Defence College, India |
| Educational Qualification | Engineering Degree from NDA |
| Family member(s) | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Manoj Pande Wife | Archana Salpekar |
| Marriage Date | 3 May 1987 |
| Parents | Father– Dr. C G Pande (Psychotherapist) Mother– Prema Pande (All India Radio) |
| Sibling | Brother- 2 Ketan Saket (Retd Army Officer) |
Family, Early Life and Education
Manoj Pande was born to Dr. C G Pande, a consulting Psychotherapist who retired as the Head of the Department of Psychology of the Nagpur University, and Prema, an announcer and host with the All India Radio. The family hails from Nagpur.
After his schooling, he joined the National Defence Academy (NDA), where he graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science. After attending the NDA, he joined the Indian Military Academy and was commissioned as an officer, whereafter he attended the College of Military Engineering, Pune, earning a Bachelor of Technology degree in Civil Engineering.
Manoj Pande married Archana Salpekar, gold medalist from Govt Dental College and Hospital, Nagpur on 3 May 1987.
Manoj Pande Career
- Manoj Pande was commissioned into the Bombay Sappers, one of the regiments in the Corps of Engineers, in December 1982. He attended the Staff College, Camberley in the United Kingdom. After completing the course, he returned to India and was appointed brigade major of a mountain brigade in Northeast India. After promotion to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, he served as the Chief Engineer at the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea.
- Manoj Pande has commanded the 117 Engineer Regiment along the Line of Control (LOC) in Jammu and Kashmir. He was in command of the regiment during Operation Parakram.
- He then attended the Army War College, Mhow and completed the Higher Command Course. After the course, he was appointed Colonel Q at HQ 8 Mountain Division.
- He was then promoted to the rank of Brigadier and given command of an Engineer brigade as part of a Strike Corps in the western theatre.
- Manoj Pande was selected to attend the prestigious National Defence College. After completing the course, he was appointed Brigadier General Staff Operations (BGS-Ops) at HQ Eastern Command.
- After promotion to the rank of Major General, Pande took command of 8 Mountain Division which was involved in high-altitude operations in western Ladakh.
- Promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General, he served as the Chief of Staff of the Southern Command.
- On 30 December 2018, Pandey took command of the IV Corps at Tezpur from Lieutenant General Gurpal Singh Sangha.
- On 30 April 2020, Pande was appointed the next Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN). He assumed command on 1 June 2020 after the incumbent Lt Gen P S Rajeshwar superannuated on 31 May 2020.
- A year later, he was appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command. He handed over charge of CINCAN to Lieutenant General Ajai Singh on 31 May and took command of the Eastern Command on 1 June.
- He has been appointed as the next Vice Chief of the Army Staff succeeding Lieutenant General Chandi Prasad Mohanty on his superannuation on 31 January 2022.
- Lieutenant General Manoj Pande is set to become the next Army chief, and will succeed General Manoj Mukund Naravane who completes his tenure on April 30 2022. Lt. General Pande is the first engineer to hold the top military post.
Awards and Honors
He is a recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, and the Vishisht Seva Medal. Apart from these, he has been awarded the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Commendation Card and two GOC-in-C commendation cards.