General Manoj Pande Retires As Army Chief — Six Highlights Of His Tenure

After more than four decades of distinguished service, General Manoj Pande superannuated today (30 June) and relinquished the appointment of the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS).

General Upendra Dwivedi will now succeed him. Notably, General Pande, who was originally set to retire at the end of May but received an unusual one-month extension.

He has been serving as Army chief since 30 April 2022. Here's how his tenure will be remembered:

1. General Pande accorded the highest priority to operational preparedness along the Northern and Western borders.

He frequently visited forward areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Eastern Ladakh, and the Northeast, taking first-hand account of operational preparedness and morale of all ranks.

2. He initiated the holistic transformation of the Indian Army with a focus on technological absorption under five distinct pillars of a modern, agile, adaptive, technology-enabled and future-ready force.

3. His emphasis on adaptation of indigenous weapons and equipment under ‘Atmanirbharata’ initiative paved the way for long-term sustenance of the Indian Army.

The Agniveer scheme was rolled out in his tenure for short-term induction into the Armed Forces. However, the Indian Army has been mulling some changes in this scheme.

5. He encouraged Bilateral/ Multilateral exercises, seminars and discussions. Under his guidance, Chanakya Defence Dialogue was instituted to carry out a comprehensive analysis of security challenges in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific.

6. He accorded due diligence to military diplomacy through the conduct of the Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference (IPACC) and enhancing the scale and scope of annual exercises with partner nations.          

With these achievements, General Pande's tenure comes to an end. He got commissioned in December 1982 in the Corps of Engineers (The Bombay Sappers).

For his illustrious service, the General Officer has been conferred with the awards of Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.

General Pande was presented a Ceremonial Guard of Honour at the South Block Lawns, New Delhi, on the occasion of relinquishing the appointment of COAS.

Earlier in the day, he laid a wreath at the hallowed precincts of the National War Memorial (NWM) to honour the sacrifice and valour of the bravehearts.