Centre extends tenure of army chief General Manoj Pande by one month

General Manoj Pande was to retire from service on May 31.

Updated on: May 27, 2024, 05:00:17 IST

By HT News Desk

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The Centre on Sunday extended the tenure of Army chief General Manoj Pande for a period of one month.

Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande. (PTI)

General Pande was to retire from service on May 31.

"The Appointments Committee of Cabinet on May 26 approved the extension in service of Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj C Pande for a period of one month, beyond his normal age of superannuation (May 31), i.e. up to June 30, under Rule 16 A (4) of the Army Rules 1954," the defence ministry said in a statement.

General Pande took over the reins of the 1.2 million-strong force in April 2022. Prior to that, he served as the vice chief of the Army Staff.

Born May 6, 1962, Pande has been the 29th army chief for over two years. Service chiefs have a three-year term or serve until they turn 62, whichever is earlier. Before assuming the charge of vice chief, Pande was heading the Kolkata-based Eastern Command, which is responsible for guarding India’s borders with China in the eastern sector.

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His tenure saw the Indian Army deploy new weapon systems in the eastern sector to strengthen its posture against the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), amid the lingering border row in Ladakh.

An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Pande was commissioned into the Corps of Engineers (The Bombay Sappers) in December 1982. He commanded an engineer regiment during Operation Parakram in the Pallanwala Sector along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

Also Read | Ready to deal with any situation along China border: Gen Manoj Pande

In his 41-year military career, Pande has commanded an engineer brigade in the western theatre, an infantry brigade along the LoC, a mountain division in the Ladakh sector, and a corps in the northeast. He was the commander-in-chief of Andaman and Nicobar Command before he took charge of Eastern Command.

Pande has undergone courses at Staff College, Camberley (UK), Army War College, Mhow and National Defence College, New Delhi

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