NEW DELHI:
General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Tuesday assumed the charge as 28th Chief of Army Staff. He succeeded General Bipin Rawat, who is set to take charge as first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). After a farewell Guard of Honour this morning, General Bipin Rawat had said, ‘I am confident that he (General Naravane) will take Army to greater heights.’ General Naravane assumes the new role months after he was appointed as Vice-Chief of the Army in September.
He was earlier heading the Eastern Command of the Army which takes care of India’s nearly 4,000-km border with China. General Naravane is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy. He was commissioned into the 7th battalion, the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment in June 1980.
In his 37 years of service, he has served in numerous command and staff appointments in peace, field and highly active counter-insurgency environments in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast. He has also commanded a Rashtriya Rifles battalion in Jammu and Kashmir and an infantry brigade on the eastern front.
A decorated officer, General Naravane has been awarded the ‘Sena Medal’ (Distinguished) for effectively commanding his battalion in Jammu and Kashmir. He is also a recipient of the ‘Vishisht Seva Medal’ for his services as the Inspector General Assam Rifles (North) in Nagaland and the ‘Ati Vishisht Seva Medal’ for commanding of a prestigious strike corps.
