General Pande takes charge as army chief, CDS suspense lingers

New Delhi: General Manoj Pande on Saturday took over the reins of the 1.3-million strong army as its 29th chief, replacing General Manoj Mukund Naravane who retired after serving in the top position for two years and four months, even though the suspense over who will be India’s next chief of defence staff (CDS) still lingers.

The key post has been vacant for almost five months after the country’s first CDS, General Bipin Rawat, was killed in a helicopter crash last December.

Pande is the first officer from the Corps of Engineers to become army chief. The general will have two years and one month to implement his vision for the army and address the challenges that confront the force.

Before assuming the charge of army chief, Pande served as the vice chief for three months. He earlier headed the Kolkata-based HQs Eastern Command, which is responsible for guarding India’s borders with China in the eastern sector.

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 border row in Ladakh.

In his 39-year military career, Pande has commanded an engineer brigade in the western theatre, infantry brigade along Line of Control (LoC), a mountain division in the Ladakh sector and a corps in the North-east. He has also served as the commander-in-chief of the Port Blair-based Andaman and Nicobar Command.

Building capability to take on the military challenges posed by China, providing impetus to the military’s threaterisation drive, improving the army’s tooth-to-tail ratio and optimally utilising the defence budget with focus on indigenisation are expected to be among the immediate priorities for Pande, as previously reported by Hindustan Times.

He has taken over as chief at a time when the border standoff in eastern Ladakh is set to enter its third year, with a full resolution still not in sight even though India and China have had partial success in disengaging rival soldiers from some friction areas on LAC and talks are on to end the deadlock that has cast a shadow over the bilateral relationship.

His appointment also comes at a time when India is working on a roadmap for the military’s theaterisation to best utilise the resources of the three services for future wars and operations. Rawat was spearheading the theaterisation drive. The CDS’s demise was seen as a setback to the ongoing military reforms, including theaterisation.

Earlier, Naravane was presented a ceremonial guard of honour at South Block, and he also laid a wreath at the National War Memorial to honour India’s fallen soldiers, officials said. The outgoing chief and his wife Veena Naravane called on President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Naravane also met defence minister Rajnath Singh who praised the general’s contributions to the country. “Had a wonderful meeting with the Army Chief, General MM Naravane, who is going to retire today after serving the nation for 42 years. His contributions as a military leader have strengthened India’s defence capabilities & preparedness. I wish him success in his future endeavours,” Singh wrote on Twitter.