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Manoj Pande Wiki, Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

April 8, 20240

 

Lieutenant General Manoj Pande is Indian military personnel, who has served the Indian Army in various key positions. In January 2022, he was appointed as the Army Vice-Chief, and in April 2022, he became the 29th Chief of Army Staff.

Wiki/Biography

Manoj Pande was born on Sunday, 6 May 1962 (age 60 years; as of 2022) in Nagpur. His zodiac sign is Taurus. After completing his schooling, he joined the National Defence Academy (NDA). After NDA, he joined the Indian Military Academy. During his career, he went to Staff College, Camberley (UK) for higher studies. He then did a higher Command course at Army War College, Mhow (India), and National Defence College, New Delhi.

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 5′ 7″

Hair Colour: Salt and Pepper

Eye Colour: Black

Eastern Commander Lt. General Manoj Pande (Front Right) visited MISA Camp

Family

Parents & Siblings

Lieutenant General Manoj Pande is the son of Dr C. G. Pande, Consulting Physiotherapist and retired Head of the Department of Psychology, Nagpur University. His mother, Prema Pande, was a popular announcer and host at All India Radio. General officer’s younger brother Ketan is settled in Brunei, and his youngest brother, Sanket, also served the Indian Army, who retired as a Colonel.

Wife 

General tied the knot with Archana Salpeka, a gold medalist from Govt. Dental College and Hospital, on 3 May 1987 in Nagpur. She is a homemaker.

Career

In his prolific career, he held many crucial staff assignments in both conventional as well as counter-insurgency operations that too in almost all types of terrain. In December 1982, he was commissioned into the Corps of Engineers (The Bombay Sappers), where, after some time, he commanded a 117 Engineers Regiment during Operation Parakram along the Line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir. After returning from Staff College, he was appointed as the brigade major of a mountain brigade in Northeast India. As a Lieutenant Colonel, he was posted as the Chief Engineer at the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea. After completing the higher command course at Army War College, he was appointed Colonel Q at HQ 8 Mountain Division. He was then promoted to Brigadier rank and commanded the 474th Engineering Brigade as a part of a Strike Corps (Western Command). At the same rank, he also commanded the 52 Infantry Brigade, positioned along the LOC. After completing the high command course at National Defence College at New Delhi, he served as Brigadier General Staff Operations at HQ Eastern Command. After being promoted to Major General rank, he commanded the coveted 8 Mountain Division, also referred to as the ‘Forever in Operations’ division headquartered in Khumbathang. Posted on the same rank, he served at Army Headquarters as the Additional Director General Military Operations (ADGMO) assisting the DGMO and all formations in operational planning. He then stepped onto the rank of Lieutenant General, where he initially served as the Chief of Staff at Southern Command and was then appointed as the General commanding officer of Gajraj Corps (Eastern Command).

Qatar Armed Forces delegation visits Chief of Staff, Lt. General at Southern Command HQ

Lt Gen Pande takes over the command of Gajraj Corps

Another feather was added to his cap when he was appointed as the 15th Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN), replacing Lt Gen Podali Shankar Rajeshwar.

Lieutenant General Manoj Pande Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman & Nicobar Command (CINCAN) arrived at ENC, Visakhapatnam

After a year, he passed on the command of CINCAN to Lieutenant General Ajai Singh on 31 May 2021, and Lt. Pande was appointed as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command on 2 June 2021.

Lt Gen Manoj Pande taking charge of Eastern Command

On 18 January 2022, Lt. Manoj Pande was appointed the Vice-Chief of the Indian Army, succeeding Lt. General CP Mohanty. On 18 April 2022, he was appointed as the 29th Chief of Army Staff. On 30 April 2022, he took over as the new Army Chief from General MM Naravane.

Gen Manoj Pandey takes over as the 29th Chief of Army Staff after Gen MM Naravane

Significant Ranks Held in the Indian Army

  • Second Lieutenant (24 December 1982)
  • Lieutenant (24 December 1984)
  • Captain (24 December 1987)
  • Lieutenant Colonel (16 December 2004)
  • Brigadier (1 April 2010, executed seniority from 25 January 2009)
  • Major General (1 July 2015, executed seniority from 12 June 2012)
  • Lieutenant General (1 September 2017)

Medals

  • Param Vishisht Seva Medal

    Manoj Pande received the Param Vishisht Seva Medal from President Ram Nath Kovind on 10 May 2022

  • High Altitude Service Medal
  • 50th Anniversary of Independence Medal
  • 30 Years Long Service Medal
  • 20 Years Long Service Medal
  • 9 Years Long Service Medal

Facts/Trivia

  • When Manoj Pande was appointed as the commander of the 8 Mountain Division, he became one of the rare breeds of Army officers belonging to the engineering background to be appointed in high-altitude operations.
  • Many times, Lt. General Manoj Pande is wrongly understood as the Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey, a martyr of the Kargil War in 1999
  • On 26 September 2021, Lt Gen Manoj Pande inaugurated the Bijoya Sanskritik Mahotsav at Rabindra Sadan to mark 50 years of Bangladesh’s Liberation War.
  • Manoj Pande is the first officer from the Corps of Engineers and also the first from combat support arms – the combat arms being infantry, artillery and armoured to become the Chief of Army Staff.