On December 16, 2019, the Government Of India announced the appointment of Lt Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane, incumbent Vice Chief Of Army Staff (VCOAS) as the next and 28th Chief Of Army Staff (COAS), Indian Army, upon the superannuation of the incumbent Gen Bipin Rawat on December 31, 2019. Gen Manoj Naravane was commissioned into the Sikh Light Infantry on June 1980. It should be noted that Gen Naravane will be the third COAS from the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment which has in the past also produced Gen. Ved Prakash Malik and Gen. Bikram Singh
A product of the 56th Course National Defence Academy (NDA) and 66th Course Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, the General Officer hails from Pune, Maharashtra, where he received his education upto the higher secondary level before moving onto NDA, Khadakwasla.
Gen Manoj Naravane has varied operational, instructional, staff and diplomatic experience. His operational deployments have spanned the mountainous forests of Northeastern India, the Kashmir Valley and the Western Deserts. He has also served a tenure in Myanmar, as Defence Attaché in the Indian Embassy in Yangon.
Reflecting his rich counter-insurgency experience, General Naravane has commanded a Rashtriya Rifles battalion in Jammu & Kashmir, besides commanding an Infantry Division equivalent of the Assam Rifles, as the Inspector General of Assam Rifles (North). Prior to taking over as VCOAS, Gen. Manoj Naravane helmed the all-important Eastern Command. As an Army Commander he has also been in charge of the Army Training Command in Shimla. In the past, he has also served as General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area and helmed the ‘Kharga’ Strike Corps.
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