KATHMANDU: Lieutenant General Manoj Pande was Monday appointed the new Chief of Army Staff of India.

He will succeed General M M Naravane on May 1 as the CoAS, becoming the first officer from the Corps of Engineers.

He has been Vice Chief of Army Staff since February 1 this year.

According to the Indian Army, he was part of Operation Parakram, the 2001-02 India-Pakistan standoff in the wake of the Parliament attack.

Pandey is a graduate of Staff College, Camberley (United Kingdom), and attended the Higher Command (HC) and National Defence College (NDC) courses.

In his 39 years of military service, he has held important and challenging command and staff appointments in different operational environments.

Pande was Commander-in-Chief, Andaman & Nicobar Command (CINCAN), from June 2020 to May 2021 and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command from June 2021 to January 2022.