New Army Chief: The government Tuesday appointed vice chief of army staff Lt General Manoj Mukund Naravane as the next chief of Indian Army. General Naravane will take charge from General Bipin Rawat who will retire on December 31. An alumnus of NDA and IMA, General Naravane joined the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment in June 1980. General MM Naravane will take over as Chief of the Army Staff in the substantive rank of General, said the ministry of defence.
In his military career spanning almost four decades, General Naravane, worked with key army commands and staff appointments in peace and field both in North East and Jammu & Kashmir. He was also a part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka during Operation Pawan.
“The Officer brings with him enormous experience of serving in the most challenging areas,” said the ministry of defence.
General Naravane has commanded the 2nd Battalion of Rashtriya Rifles (Sikh Light Infantry), 106 Infantry Brigade, Inspector General Assam Rifles (North) at Kohima, Nagaland and 2 Corps.
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His staff assignments include tenures as a Brigade Major of an Infantry Brigade, Assistant Adjutant & Quartermaster General (AA&QMG) of Headquarters Establishment No 22, Defence Attache at Yangon, Myanmar, an instructional appointment in the Army War College as Directing Staff in the Higher Command Wing, besides two tenures at the Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army), New Delhi.
General MM Naravane commanded the Republic Day Parade in 2017 in his capacity as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) Delhi Area.
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After successfully commanding the Army Training Command, Shimla, he took over as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of Eastern Command on October 01, 2018.
Lt Gen Naravane did his schooling at Dnayana Prabodhinee Prashala, Pune. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy, the General Officer was commissioned into the 7th Battalion, The Sikh Light Infantry Regiment in June 1980.
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He is an alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and Higher Command Course, Mhow. He holds a Master’s Degree in Defence Studies, M. Phil Degree in Defence and Management Studies and is currently pursuing his Doctorate.
