 | A request that this article title be changed toManoj Mukund NaravaneManoj Mukund Naravane isunder discussion. Pleasedo not move this article until the discussion is closed. |
MM Naravane | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2020 | |
| ActingChairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee | |
| In office 15 December 2021 – 30 April 2022 | |
| President | Ram Nath Kovind |
| Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
| Preceded by | Bipin Rawat |
| Succeeded by | Anil Chauhan |
| 28thChief of the Army Staff | |
| In office 31 December 2019 – 30 April 2022 | |
| President | Ram Nath Kovind |
| Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
| Preceded by | Bipin Rawat |
| Succeeded by | Manoj Pande |
| 40thVice Chief of the Army Staff | |
| In office 1 September 2019 – 31 December 2019 | |
| President | Ram Nath Kovind |
| Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
| Preceded by | Devraj Anbu |
| Succeeded by | Satinder Kumar Saini[1] |
| General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command | |
| In office 1 October 2018 – 31 August 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Abhay Krishna |
| Succeeded by | Anil Chauhan |
| General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Army Training Command | |
| In office 1 December 2017 – 30 September 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Dewan Rabindranath Soni |
| Succeeded by | Pattacheruvanda C. Thimayya |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Manoj Mukund Naravane (1960-04-22)22 April 1960 (age 65)[2] Pune,Bombay State, India |
| Spouse | Veena Naravane |
| Alma mater | Indian Military Academy National Defence Academy University of Madras Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  India |
| Branch/service |  Indian Army |
| Years of service | June 1980 – 30 April 2022 |
| Rank |  General |
| Unit | .svg) 7 Sikh Light Infantry |
| Commands |
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| Service number | IC-38750H[3] |
| Awards | |
GeneralManoj Mukund Naravane[a]PVSM AVSM VSM SM (born 22 April 1960) is a retiredIndian Armyofficer who served as the28th Chief of the Army Staff (COAS),[4] as well as the temporaryChairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee from 15 December 2021 until his superannuation on 30 April 2022.[5][6]
He took over as COAS fromGeneralBipin Rawat on 31 December 2019. Prior to his appointment as the COAS, the general officer served as the40th Vice Chief of Army Staff[7] of theIndian Army,General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) ofEastern Command[8] andGeneral Officer Commanding-in-Chief ofArmy Training Command.[9] He also served asGeneral Officer Commanding II Corps and also asGeneral Officer Commanding Delhi Area.
Manoj Mukund Naravane was born on 22 April 1960 inPune,Bombay State, nine days before the formation ofMaharashtra, toChandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu parents.[10][11][12][13] His father, Mukund Naravane, is a former officer in theIndian Air Force who retired in the rank ofwing commander and his mother Sudha was an announcer with theAll India Radio.[14] He completed his schooling at theJnana Prabodhini Prashala inPune.[15]
He is an alumnus ofNational Defence Academy,Pune andIndian Military Academy,Dehradun. He also holds a master's degree in Defence Studies fromUniversity of Madras,Chennai and anM.Phil. in Defence and Management Studies fromDevi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya,Indore and he is also pursuing PhD in defence and strategic studies fromPunjabi University, Patiala.[16] Naravane has attended theDefence Services Staff College,Wellington and theArmy War College, Mhow.[17][18]
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Gen Naravane was commissioned into 7th battalionThe Sikh Light Infantry in June 1980. He has commanded the 2ndBattalion (SikhLi) ofRashtriya Rifles inJammu and Kashmir as well as the 106 Infantry brigade. He has also commanded theAssam Rifles as Inspector General (North) inKohima,Nagaland. He has served inCounter-insurgency operations inJammu and Kashmir andNortheast India, as well as theIndian Peace Keeping Force inSri Lanka duringOperation Pawan.[19] The general officer's staff assignments include tenures as abrigade major of an Infantry Brigade, Assistant Adjutant & Quartermaster General (AA&QMG) of Headquarters Establishment No. 22. He has also served as theMilitary attaché toMyanmar atYangon.[20][21][22]
In addition, he served in an instructional appointment at theArmy War College,Mhow as Directing Staff in the Higher Command Wing and two tenures at theIntegrated Defence Staff Headquarters ofMinistry of Defence,New Delhi.[23]
On promotion to the rank ofLieutenant general, he commanded theAmbala-basedKharga Strike Corps and served as thegeneral officer commanding (GOC) Delhi Area. As GOC Delhi Area, he commanded the 2017Republic Day Parade.[24][25]
After being promoted to Army Commander grade, Gen Naravane served as General Officer Commanding-in-ChiefArmy Training Command from 1 December 2017 to 30 September 2018. Later, he also served as General Officer Commanding-in-ChiefEastern Command from 1 October 2018 to 31 August 2019, succeeding Lt GenAbhay Krishna.[8][26][18][17]
On 1 September 2019, he took over asVice Chief of the Army Staff[7] when Lt GenDevraj Anbu retired on 31 August, and became the senior-most serving general afterBipin Rawat.[27] On 16 December 2019 (Vijay Diwas) he was announced as the successor ofRawat asCOAS on 31 December 2019.[28][29] Gen Naravane is the 3rd general from theSikh Light Infantry to becomeChief of the Army Staff, the others wereVed Prakash Malik the 18th COAS andBikram Singh the 25th COAS.[30]
He is fromPune,Maharashtra. He paints, practices yoga, and gardens, his wife, Veena Naravane, is a teacher and former president ofArmy Wives Welfare Association. They have two daughters.[17]
After retirement from service, he has written books. His first bookFour Stars of Destiny was supposed to be released in 2024, but delayed due to a reviewing process by the Ministry of Defence. His military thriller novelThe Cantonment Conspiracy about two National Defence Academy officers investigating a case of assault and murder in a garrison was published in 2025.[31]
TheBBC reported that Naravane's book has been awaiting government clearance since 2024.[33]
The Indian Express also reported the same citing government clearance over an year.[34]
He has received theParam Vishisht Seva Medal (2019),Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (2017),Sena Medal,Vishist Seva Medal (2015), and the COAS commendation card for his service.[3][35][17][36] He was also the Colonel of the Regiment of theSikh Light Infantry.
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| Insignia | Rank | Component | Date of rank |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Second Lieutenant | Indian Army | 7 June 1980[37] |
 | Lieutenant | Indian Army | 7 June 1982[38] |
 | Captain | Indian Army | 7 June 1985[39] |
 | Major | Indian Army | 7 June 1991[40] |
 | Lieutenant-Colonel | Indian Army | 31 December 2002[41] |
 | Colonel | Indian Army | 1 February 2005[42] |
 | Brigadier | Indian Army | 19 July 2010 (substantive, seniority from 13 January 2008)[43] |
 | Major General | Indian Army | 1 January 2013 (substantive, seniority from 7 April 2011)[44] |
 | Lieutenant-General | Indian Army | 10 November 2015 (substantive)[45] |
| General (COAS) | Indian Army | 1 January 2020[46] |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)He will be the third Army Chief from the Sikh Light regiment after Gen VP Malik and Gen Bikram Singh.
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Media related toManoj Mukund Naravane at Wikimedia Commons
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Bipin Rawat (asCDS) | Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee Acting 15 December 2021 – 30 April 2022 | Succeeded by Anil Chauhan (asCDS) |
| Preceded by | Chief of the Army Staff 31 December 2019 – 30 April 2022 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Vice Chief of the Army Staff 1 September 2019 – 30 December 2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | General Officer Commanding-in-ChiefEastern Command 1 October 2018 – 31 August 2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | General Officer Commanding-in-ChiefArmy Training Command 1 December 2017 – 30 September 2018 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Vijay Singh | General Officer Commanding Delhi Area January 2017- 30 November 2017 | Succeeded by Asit Mistry |
| Preceded by Amarjeet Singh | General Officer CommandingKharga Corps January 2016 - January 2017 | Succeeded by |
| Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army (1947–1948) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Chief of the Army Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army (1948–1955) | ||
| Chief of the Army Staff (1955–present) |
| |
(**Seconded from theBritish Army) | ||
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