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List of Chief of Army Staff India & their Roles & Responsibilities
The regiments of the Indian army have participated in several conflicts and wars throughout the world, winning them all with remarkable bravery. The professional commander of such a valiant force is the Chief of Army Staff, a four-star general.
Know more about this glorious position in the Indian Army, its roles and responsibilities and names of prominent Indian CoAs.
Who is a Chief of Army Staff?
The Chief of Army Staff is the Indian Army's highest-ranking officer and operational commander. The Commanders-in-Chief Act of 1955 established this post, which replaced the Commander-in-Chief office.Â
The Indian Chief of Army Staff is always a full General who advises the Government of India and the Ministry of Defence on military matters. The Indian Army has 28 Chiefs of Army Staff and four Commanders-in-Chief.
List of Chief of Army Staff Personnel
Illustrated below in the table are the names, tenures and units of India’s distinguished Chief of Army Staff personnel.
| Indian Chief Of Army Staff | |||
| S.No. | Name | Tenure | Unit of Commission |
| 1 | General Sir Robert Lockhart | 15 Aug 1947 to 31st Dec 1947 | 51 Sikhs Frontier Force |
| 2 | General Francis Robert Roy Bucher | 21 June 1948 – 15 January 1949 | Scottish Rifles |
| 3 | Field Marshal Kodandera Madappa Cariappa | 16 January 1949 – 14 January 1953 | Rajput Rifles |
| 4 | General Maharaj Rajendrasinhji Jadeja | 15 January 1953 – 1 April 1955 | 2nd Lancers (Gardner’s Horse) |
| 5 | General Maharaj Rajendrasinhji Jadeja | 1 April 1955 – 14 May 1955 | 2nd Lancers (Gardner’s Horse) |
| 6 | General Satyawant Mallana Sringesh | 15 May 1955 – 7 May 1957 | 19th Hyderabad Regiment |
| 7 | General Kodandera Subayya Thimayya | 8 May 1957 – 7 May 1961 | 19th Hyderabad Regiment |
| 8 | General Pran Nath Thapar | 8 May 1961 – 19 November 1962 | 1st Punjab Regiment |
| 9 | General Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri | 20 November 1962 – 7 June 1966 | 7th Light Cavalry |
| 10 | General Paramasiva Prabhakar Kumaramangalam | 8 June 1966 – 7 June 1969 | Regiment of Artillery |
| 11 | Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw | 8 June 1969 – 15 January 1973 | 12th Frontier Force Regiment |
| 12 | General Gopal Gurunath Bewoor | 16 January 1973 – 31 May 1975 | Dogra Regiment |
| 13 | General Tapishwar Narain Raina | 1 June 1975 – 31 May 1978 | Kumaon Regiment |
| 14 | General Om Prakash Malhotra | 1 June 1978 – 31 May 1981 | Regiment of Artillery |
| 15 | General Kotikalapudi Venkata Krishna Rao | 1 June 1981 – 31 July 1983 | Mahar Regiment |
| 16 | General Arun Kumar Shridhar Vaidya | 1 August 1983 – 31 January 1986 | 9th Deccan Horse |
| 17 | General Krishnaswamy Sundarji | 1 February 1986 – 31 May 1988 | Mahar Regiment |
| 18 | General Ashwa Nath Sharma | 1 June 1988 – 30 June 1990 | 16th Light Cavalry |
| 19 | General Sunith Francis Rodrigues | 1 July 1990 – 30 June 1993 | Regiment of Artillery |
| 20 | General Bipin Chandra Joshi | 1 July 1993 – 19 November 1994 | 64th Cavalry |
| 21 | General Shankar Roy Chowdhary | 20 November 1994 – 30 September 1997 | 20th Lancers |
| 22 | General Ved Prakash Malik | 1 October 1997 – 30 September 2000 | Sikh Light Infantry |
| 23 | General Sundarajan Padmanabhan | 1 October 2000 – 31 December 2002 | Regiment of Artillery |
| 24 | General Nirmal Chander Vij | 1 January 2003 – 31 January 2005 | Dogra Regiment |
| 25 | General Joginder Jaswant Singh | 1 February 2005 – 30 September 2007 | Maratha Light Infantry |
| 26 | General Deepak Kapoor | 1 October 2007 – 31 March 2010 | Regiment of Artillery |
| 27 | General Vijay Kumar Singh | 1 April 2010 – 31 May 2012 | Rajput Regiment |
| 28 | General Bikram Singh | 1 June 2012 – 31 July 2014 | Sikh Light Infantry |
| 29 | General Dalbir Singh Suhag | 1 August 2014 – 31 December 2016 | 5 Gorkha Rifles |
| 30 | General Bipin Rawat | 31 December 2016 – 31 December 2019 | 11 Gorkha Rifles |
| 31 | General Manoj Mukund Naravane | 31 December 2019 – 30 April 2022 | 7 Sikh Light Infantry |
| 32 | General Manoj Pande | 30 April 2022 – Present | Corps of Engineers |
Who is the Current Indian Chief of Army Staff?
As of 2023, General Manoj Pande, the Army's vice-chief, is the current Indian Chief of Army Staff. He is the first officer commissioned within the Corps of Engineers to become Chief of Army Staff.
What Are the Roles and Responsibilities of the Chief of Army Staff?
Know what the different duties exercised by the Indian Chief of Army Staff:
- In charge of the Indian Army's command, control, and administration.
- Provides military advice and recommendations to the President, Ministry of Defence, and government on national security, defence strategy, and force readiness.
- Plays a critical role in the Indian Army's strategic planning, capabilities development, and modernisation.
- Oversees soldier and officer recruiting, promotions, appointments, transfers, and welfare. Ensures Army personnel's discipline, morale, and well-being.
- Ensures operational readiness, including internal security risks and defence requirements. Monitors preparedness, runs drills and prepares and executes military actions.
- Represents the Indian Army in national and international forums, engages with foreign colleagues and takes part in military exercises and diplomatic missions.
- Contributes military experience and insights to the development and decision-making process for defence strategy.
What Is the Salary of the Chief of Army Staff?
The Chief of Army Staff is an occupation with the highest compensation in the army. The Army Chief of India's salary is determined by the 7th Pay Commission and is paid at Level 18 of the pay scale. The remuneration of the Chief of Army Staff is determined at ₹ 2,50,000 according to Indian government guidelines.
Thus, the Indian Chief of Army Staff is a highly decorated position, and the appointed personnel is charged with several duties to protect the nation’s valour and honour. It is certainly not an easy feat but is surely worth all the struggle and hard work.